Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Themes

Charlie, the titular protagonist of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is characterized as a “hero” who’s kind, generous, and considerate. He, along with four other children, is lucky enough to find a Golden Ticket in a Wonka chocolate bar, a prize that earns them a tour of Mr. Wonka’s mysterious candy factory. But unlike Charlie, the four other children who find Golden Tickets—Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde…

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a mysterious chocolatier named Mr. Wonka holds a contest where five children who find Golden Tickets hidden in Wonka candy bars will win a tour of the Mr. Wonka’s factory. When newspapers run interviews with the first four children who find Golden Tickets—Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee—Charlie (who eventually becomes the fifth winner) and his grandparents all take issue…

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a fundamentally absurd and funny book. The candy factory where most of the novel takes place is filled with amazing fictional sweets, like chewing gum that provides a three-course meal and ice cream that doesn’t melt in the sun. Moreover, the eccentric chocolatier Mr. Willy Wonka and his Oompa-Loompas (the tiny men who work in his factory) seem fantastical and even magical. Particularly when Mr. Wonka takes Charlie Bucket…

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about a group of children who tour a fantastical chocolate factory, teaches young readers the value of being kind and virtuous. However, there is also underlying prejudice and bigotry in the world of the novel. For instance, Augustus Gloop (one of the children who tours the factory) is characterized as an antagonist, simply because he’s very overweight—the implication being that his greed is tied directly to his size. By…