Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by

Roald Dahl

The Oompa-Loompas Character Analysis

The Oompa-Loompas are the knee-high people who work in Mr. Wonka’s factory. They have “rosy-white” skin and flowing brown hair. They act as a sort of moral authority, imparting some of the novel’s most overt lessons about virtue and vice to readers. It seems like only the men work, while women Oompa-Loompas tend to their children. Mr. Wonka explains that Oompa-Loompas come from Loompaland, a country that’s overgrown with vegetation and infested with dangerous, fantastical creatures that prey on Oompa-Loompas. The Oompa-Loompas had little to eat aside from unappetizing green caterpillars when they lived there, but what they truly craved were cacao beans. Mr. Wonka convinced the Oompa-Loompas to come work in his chocolate factory by promising them unlimited access to cacao beans—and by offering to pay their wages in cacao beans. At the factory, the Oompa-Loompas perform most of the difficult work. They also act as test subjects for Mr. Wonka’s more fantastical candies, such as those that make a person’s hair grow or provide a three-course meal. As Mr. Wonka ushers Charlie, Augustus, Veruca, Violet, Mike, and their guardians on a tour of the chocolate factory, the Oompa-Loompas regularly laugh for no apparent reason at the children. Whenever a child succumbs to their vices and ends up in trouble, the Oompa-Loompas sing songs to the remaining children about why the child’s vice is so bad, and how to correct or avoid it. But despite being so moral, the Oompa-Loompas have little agency and receive little or no respect from the children or Mr. Wonka—Veruca Salt even asks for an Oompa-Loompa as one might ask for a pet.

The Oompa-Loompas Quotes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory quotes below are all either spoken by The Oompa-Loompas or refer to The Oompa-Loompas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Vice and Virtue Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

Daddy!” shouted Veruca Salt (the girl who got everything she wanted). “Daddy! I want an Oompa-Loompa! I want you to get me an Oompa-Loompa! I want an Oompa-Loompa right away! I want to take it home with me! Go on, Daddy! Get me an Oompa-Loompa!”

“Now, now, my pet!” Her father said to her, “we mustn’t interrupt Mr. Wonka.”

But I want an Oompa-Loompa!” screamed Veruca.

“All right, Veruca, all right. But I can’t get it for you this second. Please be patient. I’ll see you have one before the day is out.”

Related Characters: Veruca Salt (speaker), Mr. Salt (speaker), Mr. Willy Wonka, The Oompa-Loompas
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:

Augustus Gloop, as you might have guessed, had quietly sneaked down to the edge of the river, and he was now kneeling on the riverbank, scooping hot melted chocolate into his mouth as fast as he could.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucket, The Oompa-Loompas, Augustus Gloop, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Mrs. Gloop
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

Charlie was holding tightly onto his grandfather’s bony old hand. He was in a whirl of excitement. Everything that he had seen so far—the great chocolate river, the waterfall, the huge sucking pipes, the candy meadows, the Oompa-Loompas, the beautiful pink boat, and most of all, Mr. Willy Wonka himself—had been so astonishing that he began to wonder whether there were could possibly be any more astonishments left. Where were they going now? What were they going to see? And what in the world was going to happen in the next room?

Related Characters: Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Mr. Willy Wonka, The Oompa-Loompas, Augustus Gloop
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball—a gigantic blueberry, in fact—and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top.

“It always happens like that,” sighed Mr. Wonka. “I’ve tried it twenty times in the Testing Room on twenty Oompa-Loompas, and every one of them finished up as a blueberry. It’s most annoying. I just can’t understand it.”

Related Characters: Mr. Willy Wonka (speaker), The Oompa-Loompas, Violet Beauregarde
Page Number: 99-100
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can’t spoil herself, you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need?
Who turned her into such a brat?
Who are the culprits? Who did that?
Alas! You needn’t look so far
To find out who these sinners are.
They are (and this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.
And that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the garbage chute as well.

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Salt
Page Number: 117-118
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink—
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK—HE ONLY SEES!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mike Teavee, Mr. Teavee, Mrs. Teavee
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:

‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY…USED…TO…READ!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mr. Willy Wonka, Mike Teavee
Page Number: 139-140
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Charlie and the Chocolate Factory LitChart as a printable PDF.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory PDF

The Oompa-Loompas Quotes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory quotes below are all either spoken by The Oompa-Loompas or refer to The Oompa-Loompas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Vice and Virtue Theme Icon
).
Chapter 16 Quotes

Daddy!” shouted Veruca Salt (the girl who got everything she wanted). “Daddy! I want an Oompa-Loompa! I want you to get me an Oompa-Loompa! I want an Oompa-Loompa right away! I want to take it home with me! Go on, Daddy! Get me an Oompa-Loompa!”

“Now, now, my pet!” Her father said to her, “we mustn’t interrupt Mr. Wonka.”

But I want an Oompa-Loompa!” screamed Veruca.

“All right, Veruca, all right. But I can’t get it for you this second. Please be patient. I’ll see you have one before the day is out.”

Related Characters: Veruca Salt (speaker), Mr. Salt (speaker), Mr. Willy Wonka, The Oompa-Loompas
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:

Augustus Gloop, as you might have guessed, had quietly sneaked down to the edge of the river, and he was now kneeling on the riverbank, scooping hot melted chocolate into his mouth as fast as he could.

Related Characters: Charlie Bucket, The Oompa-Loompas, Augustus Gloop, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Mrs. Gloop
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

Charlie was holding tightly onto his grandfather’s bony old hand. He was in a whirl of excitement. Everything that he had seen so far—the great chocolate river, the waterfall, the huge sucking pipes, the candy meadows, the Oompa-Loompas, the beautiful pink boat, and most of all, Mr. Willy Wonka himself—had been so astonishing that he began to wonder whether there were could possibly be any more astonishments left. Where were they going now? What were they going to see? And what in the world was going to happen in the next room?

Related Characters: Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Mr. Willy Wonka, The Oompa-Loompas, Augustus Gloop
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 83
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball—a gigantic blueberry, in fact—and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top.

“It always happens like that,” sighed Mr. Wonka. “I’ve tried it twenty times in the Testing Room on twenty Oompa-Loompas, and every one of them finished up as a blueberry. It’s most annoying. I just can’t understand it.”

Related Characters: Mr. Willy Wonka (speaker), The Oompa-Loompas, Violet Beauregarde
Page Number: 99-100
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can’t spoil herself, you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need?
Who turned her into such a brat?
Who are the culprits? Who did that?
Alas! You needn’t look so far
To find out who these sinners are.
They are (and this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.
And that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the garbage chute as well.

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Salt
Page Number: 117-118
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 27 Quotes

They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink—
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK—HE ONLY SEES!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mike Teavee, Mr. Teavee, Mrs. Teavee
Related Symbols: Chocolate
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:

‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY…USED…TO…READ!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mr. Willy Wonka, Mike Teavee
Page Number: 139-140
Explanation and Analysis: