Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

“There wasn’t even enough money to buy proper food for them all.”

The Buckets’ poverty is further established; the family is frequently hungry due to them depending on Charlie’s father, Mr. Bucket, for income. Even with income, they can only afford bread, cabbage, and potatoes. Again, this description greatly contrasts with the abundance of sweets in Wonka’s Factory.

“Many times a day, he would see other children taking creamy candy cars out of their pockets and munching them greedily, and that, of course, was pure torture.”

Readers are positioned to sympathize with the plight of young Charlie, who desperately longs for chocolate. His family can’t afford it, and he is further tempted and tortured by classmates eating chocolate daily. It is implied that most of Charlie’s classmates are more affluent than the Buckets.

“‘Oh, what a man he is, this Mr. Willy Wonka!’ cried Grandpa Joe. ‘Did you know, for example, that he has himself invented more than two hundred new kinds of candy bars, each with a different center, each far sweeter and creamier and more delicious than anything the other chocolate factories can make!’”

Mr. Willy Wonka is characterized as a fascinating and ingenious chocolatier. He and his factory become symbols of hope for Grandpa Joe and Charlie, which helps them survive the drudgery and hardships of their lives. Their adventures in Wonka’s Factory are foreshadowed by their obsession with him.

“The place is full of workers … But nobody’s gone in! The Gates are locked! It’s crazy! Nobody ever comes out either!”

Wonka’s Factory is further established as a mysterious place; the readers’ curiosity is piqued to understand the nature of Mr. Wonka’s unknown workers. This builds suspense as Charlie tries to find a Golden Ticket.

“I, Willy Wonka, have decided to allow five children—just five, mind you, and no more—to visit my factory this year.”

Mr. Bucket shares a newspaper article about Mr. Wonka’s five Golden Tickets. Readers are excited by the prospect that Charlie may be allowed to enter the hallowed factory, the object of his and Grandpa Joe’s obsession.

“Great flabby folds of fat bulged out from every part of his body, and his face was like a monstrous ball of dough with two small greedy curranty eyes peering out upon the world.”

Augustus Gloop is described as hyperbolically, ludicrously fat. His fatness is a characterization tool used to establish him as the personification of gluttony.

“He eats so many candy bars a day that it was almost impossible for him not to find one.”

Augustus’s greed is quickly established. It is also clear that Augustus is celebrated for his gluttony, rather than encouraged to be moderate, by his overindulgent mother.

“As soon as my little girl told me that she simply had to have one of these Golden Tickets, I went out into the town and started buying up all the Wonka candy bars I could lay my hands on. Thousands of them I must have bought. Hundreds of thousands!”

Veruca Salt’s affluence and spoiled nature are quickly established, in contrast to Charlie Bucket’s poverty and humility. Veruca is characterized as overindulged by her parents, who clearly acquiesce to her every want. By contrast, while Charlie’s life is far from stable, his parents are supportive—and he, in turn, is generous toward them and his grandparents.

“Every time I went home she would scream at me, “Where’s my Golden Ticket! I want my Golden Ticket!”

Veruca’s tantrum further characterizes her as self-centered and spoiled. The reader is invited to consider that her father’s pandering to her needs may have contributed to her bad manners—which the Oompa-Loompas reiterate when singing about the Salts.

“There was no sign of a Golden Ticket anywhere.”

The reader feels suspense as Charlie opens his birthday candy bar—and then immense disappointment when there is no Golden Ticket. The reader’s disappointment is expounded by how undeserving the other Golden Ticket winners are.

“I liked sticking the gooey pieces that I’d just finished with onto one of the elevator buttons.”

Violet Beauregarde is characterized as Rude. The reader is invited to feel resentful that another less deserving child will have the opportunity to see Wonka’s Factory when it is Charlie’s dream.

“Can’t you fools see I’m watching television?”

Like Violet, Mike Teavee is characterized as rude—and addicted to television—in his impolite treatment of the press who come to interview him about his discovery of the fourth Golden Ticket. Once again, readers are positioned to feel resentful that another undeserving child will be allowed Charlie’s dream.

“And every day, Charlie Bucket grew thinner and thinner. His face became so frighteningly white and pinched. His skin was drawn so tightly over the cheeks that you could see the shapes of the bones underneath.”

Charlie’s thinness indicates the increasingly dire predicament of his family, who are starving. Roald Dahl sets up a moment where everything seems dire in order to create further excitement for Charlie eventually finding the fifth and final Golden Ticket.

“Charlie picked it up and tore off the wrapper … and suddenly … from underneath the wrapper … there came a brilliant flash of gold.”

In one of the most climactic moments of the novel, Charlie discovers the fifth and final Golden Ticket—a flash of gold on an otherwise gray day. The reader is positioned to feel excitement and joy for Charlie after so much disappointment.

“This old fellow of ninety-six and a half, who hadn’t been out of bed these last twenty years, jumped on to the floor and started doing a dance of victory in his pajamas.”

Grandpa Joe’s childlike curiosity and wonder motivate him to get out of bed. This foreshadows Grandpa Joe accompanying Charlie to the factory and his joy in beholding the wonders there—wonders he’s only heard and spoken of.

“Then all at once, the powerful suction took hold of him completely, and he was pulled under the surface and then into the mouth of the pipe.”

Wonka’s Factory, unlike the rest of the world, is a place where greed and gluttony is punished and patience  is rewarded. Augustus ignores Mr. Wonka’s pleas to stop drinking from the chocolate river. Poetic justice is served when he is punished for his disobedience by being sucked into a pipe.

“‘He’s gone off his rocker!’ shouted one of the fathers, aghast, and the other parents joined in the chorus of frightened shouting. ‘He’s crazy!’ They shouted.”

Dahl condemns the parents, who are lacking in creativity and open-mindedness, and therefore doubt Mr. Wonka’s sanity and his unconventional factory. By contrast, Grandpa Joe trusts the chocolatier, mysteries and all.

“Everybody was staring at Violet. And what a terrible peculiar sight she was! Her face and hands and legs and neck, in fact the skin all over her body, as well as her great big mop of curly hair, had turned a brilliant, purplish-blue, the color of blueberry juice!”

Violet ignores Mr. Wonka’s suggestion that she not chew the three-course gum in the Inventing Room. She suffers the consequence of her rude, pushy behavior by being turned into a giant blueberry—fitting her name.

“Square Candies That Look Round.”

Dahl frequently uses puns and wordplay to humorous effect. In this case, his square candies literally turn to look at the viewer; they “look around.”

“‘My goodness, she is a bad nut after all’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘Her head must have sounded quite hollow.’”

The squirrels in charge of sorting walnuts grab Veruca and find her to be a metaphorically “bad nut.” Again, this is typical of Dahl’s humorous use of wordplay. Veruca is punished for insisting her father buy one of Mr. Wonka’s squirrels. It is implied that her experience will change her and her parents’ behavior for the better.

“I’m going to be the first person in the world to be sent by television!”

Ignoring Mr. Wonka’s pleas, Mike transports himself via television, which results in him shrinking. This moment illustrates Mike’s disobedience and rudeness, as well as his television addiction. As with the other children, it is implied that the events at the factory will improve Mike’s behavior.

“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.”

Dahl uses the character of Mike to admonish lazy parents who use television to distract and entertain their children. He suggests that children who read will grow up to be more creative, intelligent, and polite.

“I want a good sensible loving child, one to whom I can tell all my most precious candy-making secrets—while I am still alive.”

Charlie is rewarded for his kindness and courtesy with Mr. Wonka’s chocolate factory. This is a satisfying conclusion, especially given the Buckets’ poverty, which Charlie bore with acceptance and patience.