Rachel Trotter is one of the two overarching protagonists of James and the Giant Peach. She is the mother of James Henry Trotter, the wife of Craig Trotter, and the sister-in-law of Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge.
She is portrayed by Susan Turner-Cray.
Background[]
Personality[]
In contrast to Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge, who are vain and cruel, Rachel is a caring and compassionate woman. Rachel shows affection towards her family, especially to her son, whom she affectionately calls him "darling". Like her husband, Rachel has a sense of imagination where she eagerly helped James figure out the shapes of clouds. She also cares very deeply for her son and his happiness where she and her husband had planned to go to New York City so James could make new friends before their untimely deaths.
Physical Appearance[]
Rachel is a middle aged woman with fair skin, brown hair, and gray eyes. She is seen wearing a white collared dress with a pink apron and a pink bandana in her hair.
Role in the film[]
Rachel first appears celebrating her son, James's eighth birthday with her husband at their home on the beachside. She brings out James's birthday cake, wishing him a happy birthday and advising him to blow out the candles before the wind does. Later, Rachel, her husband, Craig, and James lay on the beach, watching clouds and guessing what they are shaped like. When James has trouble finding a cloud shaped "the tallest building in the world", Rachel advises her son to look at the cloud in another way, which he does and manages to see a cloud shaped like a building. This prompts Craig to show to James a traveling book of New York, revealing his intentions to take his family as he and Rachel want their son's life to be even more happier.
Unfortunately, Rachel and Craig are killed and eaten by a Rhino, leaving James an orphan and to be placed in the care of his aunts, Spiker and Sponge who would abuse James while treating him like a slave instead of a relation. Rachel is mentioned a few times for the remainder of the film; once by Spiker who claims because Rachel was a dreamer like Craig, it was got Rachel killed by the Rhino. During a conversation with Mr. Grasshopper, James mentioned his parents and Mr. Grasshopper assured the boy that his parents would be proud of him. Then, Rachel is mentioned again when James confronted and defeated the Rhino before arriving in New York City.
After Spiker and Sponge's defeats, James found a new family with his bug friends where they all made a home together in Central Park, achieving all their dreams, just like Rachel wanted for her son to do.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the book and movie, her name is never mentioned.