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Veruca Salt is the second child to find a golden ticket, and the third to meet a strange fate. Bratty and entitled, she is the daughter of a wealthy factory owner who spoils her rotten. Her father appears to indulge her not out of love, but because he knows if he doesn’t give Veruca what she wants, she will throw a temper tantrum. Veruca appears to have little personality beyond wanting the beautiful things she sees. Unlike Charlie and Grandpa Joe, who simply enjoy the experience of being in the beautiful Chocolate Room, Veruca demands one of her own. When she screams for a squirrel, Veruca lists off the other pets she has, revealing that she doesn’t appreciate her possessions, but instead quickly moves on to finding something else to covet. Roald Dahl, through the Oompa-Loompa characters, is quick to point out that Veruca is a brat, not because she was born that way, but because her parents have indulged her every wish. Her parents’ unwillingness to ignore her tantrums has made Veruca entitled because she’s not used to hearing “no.” Being thrown down the garbage chute by the squirrels symbolizes her rotten attitude, and her parents joining her highlights their role in making her that way.
As the wealthiest of the golden ticket holders, Veruca also plays a role in the book’s exploration of wealth and poverty. Veruca and her family are in many ways the exact opposite of the Bucket family. Veruca is the daughter of a factory owner, while Charlie is the son of a factory worker. Charlie’s father cannot feed his family on the wage he earns at his factory. Knowing how much his son loves chocolate, he saves up the whole year to make sure Charlie can have a single chocolate bar for his birthday. Nevertheless, Charlie is deeply appreciative for the chocolate he receives and over the moon when he finds the golden ticket. In contrast, the minute Veruca Salt says she wants a golden ticket, Mr. Salt forces all his factory workers to devote their time to unwrapping candy bars. It is neither Veruca nor Mr. Salt who find the golden ticket, but one of his workers. Instead of being grateful, Veruca spends her entire time in the factory finding new things to want. Veruca and her family therefore demonstrate how having money can ruin a person’s sense of appreciation and gratitude.
