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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a morality tale which pits the good and kind Charlie Bucket against four spoiled and entitled children. Unbeknownst to them, all five children are about to be tested by the legendary chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, who wants to find a successor to run his chocolate factory. By taking the five children through the factory, Willy Wonka tests to see which child lives up to his moral standards of kindness, wonder, and obedience. The children who do not live up to his standards find punishment by running into strange accidents.
The story spends a lot of time setting up Charlie’s family situation in order to characterize Charlie as a good, moral protagonist. Despite the poverty and hunger that Charlie lives with, he is never bitter, mean, or complaining. He finds joy in spending time with his grandparents, listening to their stories and asking encouraging questions that show he’s an active listener. He says, “please,” when asking for something. However, Charlie’s poverty means that not only does he not get enough to eat, but he only gets to eat his favorite food, chocolate, once a year. Charlie’s goodness, love of chocolate, and desperate situation foreshadow that Charlie is the ideal candidate to take over Wonka’s factory.
The inciting incident, or event that sets the action of the story in motion, is Willy Wonka’s announcement that five children will enter his factory. This event not only spurs the other four children to start looking for golden tickets, but it gives Charlie hope that his life could change for the better. From here, the action begins to rise. One by one, other children find the tickets, raising the stakes as it seems less and less likely Charlie will find one. To make things worse, in the newspaper interviews with the other children, the book makes it clear through Charlie’s grandparents’ reactions that the other children are not nice children and are not in desperate need of good luck like Charlie. The contrast between Charlie and the other children further raises the stakes. Charlie’s failed attempts at finding a golden ticket also work to build suspense until finally Charlie’s luck turns around and he finds one.
The rising action continues with the visit to Willy Wonka’s factory. This section serves to test Charlie against the other children, proving that he is the most moral of the children and the ideal candidate to run Wonka’s factory. At every moment, Roald Dahl makes sure to show how Charlie is different from the other children. He only tastes the grass in the Chocolate Room when Willy Wonka invites him to do so. He doesn’t touch anything without permission. Although he asks questions out of curiosity, he doesn’t contradict anything Willy Wonka says. He enjoys the experience with wonder and gratitude. Charlie is never truly in danger because he follows the rules.
In contrast, the other children refuse to listen to anything Willy Wonka says, and act entitled to everything they see. Their bad behavior makes the factory a dangerous place for them, and their accidents tie directly to their main flaws. Augustus Gloop, who cannot stop eating, refuses to back away from the chocolate river, so he falls in and is sucked up the pipe. Violet Beauregarde insists on chewing the experimental gum, not caring that the formula is still dangerous. Veruca Salt tries to steal a squirrel because she refuses to hear the word “no.” Mike Teavee’s obsession with all things television leads to him being shrunk down to TV-size. Soon, only Charlie, with his good manners and gratitude, is left standing. The book makes it clear that this is no coincidence but a result of his moral nature.
The climax of the story comes when Willy Wonka reveals to Charlie that the factory visit has been a test, and that Charlie will inherit the factory. This moment not only declares that Charlie deserves a reward for his goodness, but it solves his material problems of poverty and hunger. Furthermore, he never has to go without chocolate ever again. As Charlie, Grandpa Joe, and Willy Wonka take the great glass elevator up and out of the factory, the city stretches before Charlie, like the limitless potential of his future. The falling action lets us know the fate of the other children. Although many of them have been permanently altered by their accidents in the factory, they are all alive and have the possibility to change for the better now that they’ve seen how their vices have gotten them into trouble. They even still get the lifetime supply of chocolate as Willy Wonka promised. Finally, at the conclusion, Willy Wonka lands the elevator at Charlie’s tiny house so that Charlie can reunite with his family and tell them their troubles are over. Charlie brings them into the elevator so they can all experience an exciting future together.
