Title: Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryAuthor: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Published: 1964
Pages: 155
Reading Time: December 3-December 5, 2009.
Plot Teaser:
Augustus Gloop eats himself sick. Veruca Salt is a spoiled-rotten brat. Violet Beauregarde chews gum day and night. Mike Teavee is a television fiend. Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, is brave and true and very, very hungry. What do these five have in common? Why, they're the luckiest children in the entire world: they've each won the chance to enter Willy Wonka's famous, mysterious chocolate factory. What happens when the big doors swing open to reveal Mr. Wonka's secrets? What happens when they come upon the tiny factory workers who sing in rhyme? What happens when, one by one, the children disobey Mr. Wonka's orders? In Roald Dahl's most popular story for children, the nasty are punished and the good are deliciously, sumptuously rewarded.
How I Got It:
This is not my book. I do not remember how the conversation started exactly, but I had mentioned to my girlfriend that I had never read a Roald Dahl book. I think it might have come up in a discussion of the 2005 Tim Burton film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was in 2008. Regardless of where or how it happened, a discussion related to Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came up, and a collection of two Roald Dahl titles, this one and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, made their way from Brossard, Quebec to Toronto, Ontario. I have put both of these books on my backlog because they were carted over for the purpose of me reading them, and I have felt bad letting them just sit there, neatly tucked into their slipcase.
The Review:
Like many people of my generation, and the generation or two before it, I was first exposed to the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory through the 1971 film directed by Mel Stuart, which bore the title Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The title was a natural choice because as much as the story was about Charlie Bucket's rise from poverty to abundance, it was Gene Wilder's intriguing portrayal of the chocolate factory owner that gave the film its playful-yet-creepy centre. Now, having had the opportunity to read the book that has inspired two major films, I must say that it is indeed Wonka's captivating presence that is the heartbeat of the story. Along with Roald Dahl's wonderful prose and Quentin Blake's childlike illustrations, Willy Wonka's ubiquity as a decorous guide gives the book a sense of devilish fun and wicked morality.
If you have read the plot teaser above, you know most of what you need to know about the plot. Centrally, the story follows five children who have discovered five golden tickets in one of Willy Wonka's candy bars, and who now have an opportunity to visit the mysteriou
s factory of the master chocolatier. The children are each given a definining character trait that makes them easy to identify, and even easier to dislike; all aside from Charlie Bucket of course, who is a poor but honest boy. As the children and their parents make their way through the factory, each child is undone by their own flaws, and is punished by karma for their lifestyle choices up to that point. The moral of the tale seems to be that proper behaviour and honesty are eventually rewarded, while obnoxiousness, gluttony, and other despicable traits such as chewing gum or watching TV all day long, are ironically and horrifically punished. Not only is each child punished, but they are then immediately eulogized in song by Oompa-Loompas, the tiny aboriginal workers of the factory, who have a gift for rhyme and mischief.
What makes this book so delightful is that Dahl has a real talent for keeping things moving, and keeping things interesting, while not simply smashing together a load of events for the sake of action. No. Each hilarious consequence and plot point has a purpose, and Dahl keeps the ball of complete engagement rolling for the entire 157 pages of the adventure. He simply knows what children, or adults for that matter, need in a work of fiction. He gets the reader completely caught up in the action, and makes you care about what is happening. For example, when discussing the feverish atmosphere that has taken hold of the world because of Wonka's golden tickets campaign, he moves from scene to scene with a rambunctious and joyful energy.
"And now the whole country, indeed, the whole world, seemed suddenly to be caught up in a mad candy-buying spree, everybody searching frantically for those precious remaining tickets. Fully grown women were seen going into sweetshops and buying ten Wonka candy bars at a time, then tearing off the wrappers on the spot and peering eagerly underneath for a glint of golden paper. Children were taking hammers and smashing their piggy banks and running out to the shops with handfuls of money. In one city, a famous gangster robbed a bank of five thousand dollars and spent the whole lot on candy bars that same afternoon. And when the police entered his house to arrest him, they found him sitting on the floor amidst mountains of candy, ripping off the wrappers with the blade of a long dagger."
Dahl understands the importance of rhythm and verb choice in creating a story that continuously moves along. "Searching," "tearing," "peering," "smashing"; while it seems simple, Dahl's use of animated and spirited verbs shows off exactly why he was such a beloved children's author.
Alongside Dahl's lively words, the artwork of Quentin Blake is a perfect complement. He has a thin and wavery style of drawing, which makes his creations feel like they can literally burst at the seams at any moment; it is only the tenuous lines that keep the details inside the characters. His lines also are not perfect, and sometimes cut through their otherwise natural stopping points. This imperfection in his artwork adds to the sense of childlike energy and playfulness. The art feels as genuine, real, and full of life, as does the actual storyline.
So, what is the purpose of this story? It can be seen as a moral tale that is meant to scare children straight, so that they behave well and listen to their parents. Willy Wonka's non-commit
tal responses and untamed personality make him a rascally moral guide throughout, and his "they deserved it" attitude give the book a surprising edge. However, it is interesting to note that unlike the movie, Charlie Bucket is almost invisible once the children enter the factory, and barely makes any moral decisions at all. Is the reader to take from this that kids should mind their own business and simply float on the outskirts of society, without ever really getting involved, and they will eventually be rewarded for not meddling? Nevertheless, whatever lessons are meant to be taken from the book, it is an achievement that Dahl has crafted a deceptively simple book that can be interpreted in more than a couple of ways.
The Verdict:
As a Dahl virgin, I was charmed and delighted throughout Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Its gaiety, whimsy, and wicked sense of humour give it a deserving place in the realm of childhood classics. The book will also make you crave chocolate once you are finished, and that is hardly a bad thing.
4.5/5
Next Up:
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl.
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Published: 1964
Pages: 155
Reading Time: December 3-December 5, 2009.
Plot Teaser:
Augustus Gloop eats himself sick. Veruca Salt is a spoiled-rotten brat. Violet Beauregarde chews gum day and night. Mike Teavee is a television fiend. Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, is brave and true and very, very hungry. What do these five have in common? Why, they're the luckiest children in the entire world: they've each won the chance to enter Willy Wonka's famous, mysterious chocolate factory. What happens when the big doors swing open to reveal Mr. Wonka's secrets? What happens when they come upon the tiny factory workers who sing in rhyme? What happens when, one by one, the children disobey Mr. Wonka's orders? In Roald Dahl's most popular story for children, the nasty are punished and the good are deliciously, sumptuously rewarded.
How I Got It:
This is not my book. I do not remember how the conversation started exactly, but I had mentioned to my girlfriend that I had never read a Roald Dahl book. I think it might have come up in a discussion of the 2005 Tim Burton film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This was in 2008. Regardless of where or how it happened, a discussion related to Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came up, and a collection of two Roald Dahl titles, this one and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, made their way from Brossard, Quebec to Toronto, Ontario. I have put both of these books on my backlog because they were carted over for the purpose of me reading them, and I have felt bad letting them just sit there, neatly tucked into their slipcase.
The Review:
Like many people of my generation, and the generation or two before it, I was first exposed to the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory through the 1971 film directed by Mel Stuart, which bore the title Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The title was a natural choice because as much as the story was about Charlie Bucket's rise from poverty to abundance, it was Gene Wilder's intriguing portrayal of the chocolate factory owner that gave the film its playful-yet-creepy centre. Now, having had the opportunity to read the book that has inspired two major films, I must say that it is indeed Wonka's captivating presence that is the heartbeat of the story. Along with Roald Dahl's wonderful prose and Quentin Blake's childlike illustrations, Willy Wonka's ubiquity as a decorous guide gives the book a sense of devilish fun and wicked morality.
If you have read the plot teaser above, you know most of what you need to know about the plot. Centrally, the story follows five children who have discovered five golden tickets in one of Willy Wonka's candy bars, and who now have an opportunity to visit the mysteriou
s factory of the master chocolatier. The children are each given a definining character trait that makes them easy to identify, and even easier to dislike; all aside from Charlie Bucket of course, who is a poor but honest boy. As the children and their parents make their way through the factory, each child is undone by their own flaws, and is punished by karma for their lifestyle choices up to that point. The moral of the tale seems to be that proper behaviour and honesty are eventually rewarded, while obnoxiousness, gluttony, and other despicable traits such as chewing gum or watching TV all day long, are ironically and horrifically punished. Not only is each child punished, but they are then immediately eulogized in song by Oompa-Loompas, the tiny aboriginal workers of the factory, who have a gift for rhyme and mischief.What makes this book so delightful is that Dahl has a real talent for keeping things moving, and keeping things interesting, while not simply smashing together a load of events for the sake of action. No. Each hilarious consequence and plot point has a purpose, and Dahl keeps the ball of complete engagement rolling for the entire 157 pages of the adventure. He simply knows what children, or adults for that matter, need in a work of fiction. He gets the reader completely caught up in the action, and makes you care about what is happening. For example, when discussing the feverish atmosphere that has taken hold of the world because of Wonka's golden tickets campaign, he moves from scene to scene with a rambunctious and joyful energy.
"And now the whole country, indeed, the whole world, seemed suddenly to be caught up in a mad candy-buying spree, everybody searching frantically for those precious remaining tickets. Fully grown women were seen going into sweetshops and buying ten Wonka candy bars at a time, then tearing off the wrappers on the spot and peering eagerly underneath for a glint of golden paper. Children were taking hammers and smashing their piggy banks and running out to the shops with handfuls of money. In one city, a famous gangster robbed a bank of five thousand dollars and spent the whole lot on candy bars that same afternoon. And when the police entered his house to arrest him, they found him sitting on the floor amidst mountains of candy, ripping off the wrappers with the blade of a long dagger."
Dahl understands the importance of rhythm and verb choice in creating a story that continuously moves along. "Searching," "tearing," "peering," "smashing"; while it seems simple, Dahl's use of animated and spirited verbs shows off exactly why he was such a beloved children's author.
Alongside Dahl's lively words, the artwork of Quentin Blake is a perfect complement. He has a thin and wavery style of drawing, which makes his creations feel like they can literally burst at the seams at any moment; it is only the tenuous lines that keep the details inside the characters. His lines also are not perfect, and sometimes cut through their otherwise natural stopping points. This imperfection in his artwork adds to the sense of childlike energy and playfulness. The art feels as genuine, real, and full of life, as does the actual storyline.So, what is the purpose of this story? It can be seen as a moral tale that is meant to scare children straight, so that they behave well and listen to their parents. Willy Wonka's non-commit
tal responses and untamed personality make him a rascally moral guide throughout, and his "they deserved it" attitude give the book a surprising edge. However, it is interesting to note that unlike the movie, Charlie Bucket is almost invisible once the children enter the factory, and barely makes any moral decisions at all. Is the reader to take from this that kids should mind their own business and simply float on the outskirts of society, without ever really getting involved, and they will eventually be rewarded for not meddling? Nevertheless, whatever lessons are meant to be taken from the book, it is an achievement that Dahl has crafted a deceptively simple book that can be interpreted in more than a couple of ways.The Verdict:
As a Dahl virgin, I was charmed and delighted throughout Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Its gaiety, whimsy, and wicked sense of humour give it a deserving place in the realm of childhood classics. The book will also make you crave chocolate once you are finished, and that is hardly a bad thing.
4.5/5
Next Up:
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl.
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