Summary
Mr. Wonka explains that the piece of gum is his most amazing invention
yet: it is an entire three-course meal in one piece of gum. He explains
that the piece of gum before him is tomato soup, roast beef, and
blueberry pie. Violet asks what Mr. Wonka means. He explains that
while chewing this gum, one would actually taste tomato soup, roast
beef, and blueberry pie. Furthermore, one would be full after chewing
it. He believes his new gum will changes people’s lives forever.
Veruca says it is impossible.
Violet takes her gum out of her mouth and asks Mr. Wonka
to give her the super gum. Mrs. Beauregarde asks Violet not to do
anything silly, but Violet ignores her mother. Mr. Wonka warns Violet that
the gum has not been perfected. But before he can finish, Violet seizes
the gum and throws it into her mouth. Violet immediately begins
tasting the soup and says how delicious it is. Mr. Wonka again cautions
her, but Violet ignores him. She describes the gum’s changing taste.
Mr. and Mrs. Beauregarde cheer on their daughter while everyone
stares at Violet in awe. She describes the wondrous blueberry pie
she tastes. Her mother notices that her nose is changing shape.
Violet tells her mother to be quiet. She continues chewing while
her parents watch her begin to turn blue. They tell her to spit out
the gum, but she ignores them. Mr. Wonka maintains that he still
has not got the recipe right.
Everyone watches as Violet turns the color of blueberry
juice. Mr. Wonka murmurs that dessert messes things up every time
but insists that he will get it right eventually. Mrs. Beauregarde
screams that Violet is swelling. Violet begins to feel ill and her
body continues to expand: she is turning into a blueberry. Mr. Wonka
explains that the same thing has happened to twenty different Oompa-Loompas.
He does not understand why. Mrs. Beauregarde says she does not want
a blueberry for a daughter. Mr. Wonka snaps his fingers and ten
Oompa-Loompas appear. He instructs them to roll Violet to the juicing
room, where, he explains to Mrs. Beauregarde, they will squeeze
the juice out of her and fix her. Mr. Wonka apologizes to the Beauregardes
while they follow their daughter’s rolling body. The rest of the
crowd stares dumbstruck at the scene. Charlie whispers for Grandpa
Joe to listen to the song the Oompa-Loompas are singing. The song
is about the ills of chewing gum. The Oompa-Loompas end their song
by saying they will try to save Violet before it is too late, although
they are not sure that they can.
Mr. Wonka ushers everyone into the hall and states he
does not want to lose any more children in that room. Charlie asks
Mr. Wonka if Violet will be all right. Mr. Wonka responds that she
will be fine after being juiced. Charlie wants to know if Violet
will still be blue. Mr. Wonka says that she will be purple, but
that is what she gets for chewing gum all day long. Mike Teavee
asks Mr. Wonka why he makes gum if he is so opposed to it. Mr. Wonka
tells Mike not to mumble when he speaks and hurries the rest of
the children and adults into the hallway. Charlie holds onto Grandpa
Joe’s hand as the group winds its way through endless corridors.
All along the hallway, the group passes by doors from which wonderful
sounds, smells, and colors emanate.
Hurrying to keep up with Mr. Wonka, Charlie and Grandpa
Joe notice a sign on a door that says “Eatable Marshmallow Pillows.” Mr.
Wonka predicts that these pillows will be all the rage soon. Another
door guards lickable wallpaper, which Mr. Wonka explains has pictures
of fruits on it that taste like the real thing. He then lists examples
of the fruit: strawberries, bananas, and snozzberries. Mike Teavee
asks what a snozzberry tastes like. Mr. Wonka again tells Mike not
to mumble. The group passes other doors containing hot ice cream,
chocolate milk cows, and fizzy lifting drinks. Mr. Wonka briefly
explains the content of each room, telling Charlie that they way
to get down from a fizzy lifting drink is to burp: if you do not
burp, you will float upward forever. Veruca wants to know why they
cannot go into these rooms, and Mr. Wonka tells her not to be so
impatient. Finally the group pauses before a room called “Square
Candies That Look Round.”
Analysis
More foreshadowing and word games fill these chapters.
The gum machine creates a gum that is an amazing violet color. Not
only does the machine produce gum, which is Violet’s obsession,
but it also produces gum that instantly reminds the reader of Violet’s
name. Thus it is no surprise when this gum serves as her downfall.
More foreshadowing occurs in the form of Veruca’s impatience. Veruca wants
to stop in every room that the group passes by, and she grows increasingly
frustrated with Mr. Wonka for ignoring her demands. Her growing
impatience foreshadows the coming punishment for her impetuousness.
The use of puns, nonsense, and word games entertain the reader while
advancing the plot. Fruits such as snozzberries, edible pillows,
and lickable wallpaper all sound either strange or implausible,
though they can be entertaining to imagine. Mike Teavee pesters
Mr. Wonka with questions about the snozzberries and gum. By ignoring
Mike just as he ignores Veruca, Mr. Wonka also casts him in a negative
light.
