Roald Dahl's “Charlie and the chocolate factory”

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant literature related to Roald Dahl's “Charlie and the chocolate factory”. Roald Dahl is best-known as an author of children's books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) and James and the Giant Peach (1961). Roald Dahl first made his mark as a writer for adults, however. As a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during WWII, Dahl crashed his plane and almost burned alive in the wreckage; Dahl had to undergo extensive surgery and a lengthy hospital stay to save his life. Dahl described this experience in his first published short story, "A Piece of Cake," which was included in Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying (1946) (Merrick, pp. 2-7). In this paper, the author will examine the work of Roald Dahl in “Charlie and the chocolate factory” and relate it to the morality between the good and the bad.

Discussion & Analysis

Charlie and the chocolate factory

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Dahl produced his most enduring children's classic. Virtue triumphs and vice fails as Charlie Bucket, the hero, inherits the fantastic chocolate factory of Willy Wonka while four monstrous children—a glutton, a gumchewer, a spoiled brat, and a television addict, meet appropriate fates (Frye, pp. 56-90).

The plot is fairly straightforward. A chocolate factory has been closed to visitors for many years, but the owner, Willy Wonka, has announced a contest from which five winners will be chosen. Each, accompanied by a relative of his or her choosing, will be given a conducted tour of the chocolate factory and perhaps samples of some of the candy. Young Charlie, whose family is destitute, becomes one of the lucky five and arrives with his grandfather. A ...