In Roald Dahl’s Matilda, what supernatural power does Matilda develop?

In Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Matilda develops the power of telekinesis.

Telekinesis is the apparent ability to move objects using the mind. In the novel, Matilda discovers this power after years of reading, thinking, and enduring neglect from her family and cruelty at school. She gradually learns to control it and uses it to challenge Miss Trunchbull.

The power is central to the novel’s movement from ordinary injustice to imaginative justice. Matilda does not begin the story with supernatural abilities; the power emerges as the plot develops. Her intelligence and love of books remain just as important as the telekinesis.

The 1996 film adaptation also portrays Matilda moving objects with her mind. Readers sometimes confuse her ability with telepathy, but telepathy concerns thoughts or mental communication, whereas Matilda physically moves objects.