Summary
As the group huddles around a door, Grandpa Joe lifts
Charlie up to see into the room containing the square candies that
look ’round. Charlie sees tables full of candies that look like
sugar cubes, except that every cube has a face painted on each of
its sides. The Oompa-Loompas in the room are painting more faces.
Mr. Wonka announces that these are his square candies that look
‘round. Mike Teavee says that the candies don’t look round to him.
Veruca says they look square. Veruca and Mr. Wonka argue about whether
the candies look round or square. Finally Mrs. Salt tells Veruca
not to listen to Mr. Wonka because he is clearly lying. Mr. Wonka
calls Mrs. Salt an old fish and tells her to go boil her head. Mr.
Salt is outraged, but Mr. Wonka tells him to shut up. With an exaggerated
gesture, Mr. Wonka unlocks and opens the door. All of the faces
on all of the cubes turn around to look at the crowd. Mr. Wonka
asserts that all the square candies are looking “’round.” Grandpa
Joe agrees with Mr. Wonka.
The group leaves the room and passes another in the hallway called
BUTTERSCOTCH and BUTTERGIN. Mr. Salt likes the look of the room.
Mr. Wonka explains that the “scotch” and gin make the Oompa-Loompas
giddy. He stops the group to listen, and behind the door they hear
wild laughing and singing. Mr. Wonka explains that they are drunk
on butterscotch and soda, but they also like buttergin and tonic.
Mr. Wonka accelerates the pace. Mrs. Salt, a fat woman with short
legs, has trouble keeping up. She looks like a tired rhinoceros.
She asks Mr. Wonka to slow down, but he refuses, saying they will
run out of time. Veruca wants to know where they are going next.
Mr. Wonka tells her to be patient.
Mr. Wonka stops the group in front of the nut room. He
tells everyone to look inside but not to enter or disturb the squirrels.
The children crowd around the door and gasp at seeing one hundred squirrels
sitting on stools around a large table, furiously shelling walnuts.
Mr. Wonka explains that the squirrels are specially trained for
shelling walnuts. Mike Teavee asks Mr. Wonka why he uses squirrels
instead of Oompa-Loompas. Mr. Wonka explains that only squirrels
can shell walnuts without breaking them, and, furthermore, they
can discern a bad nut from a good one. They do not bother shelling
the bad nuts, which they throw down the garbage chute. He points
to a squirrel throwing away a bad nut.
While everyone watches the squirrels in action, Veruca
tells her mother she wants one. Mrs. Salt tells Veruca that she
cannot have one because they all belong to Mr. Wonka. But she tells
Veruca that she will get her a squirrel as soon as possible. Veruca
demands one of Mr. Wonka’s trained squirrels. Mr. Salt makes Mr.
Wonka an offer for a squirrel, but Mr. Wonka refuses to sell a single
one. Veruca rushes into the room to grab one. Mr. Wonka yells for
her not to go into the room but it is too late. The squirrels all
turn and look at Veruca. As she reaches to grab one, all of the
squirrels suddenly pounce on Veruca and knock her on her head. They
drag a resistant Veruca toward the garbage chute. Mr. Wonka announces
that Veruca must be a bad nut.
Veruca struggles to no avail and the squirrels pitch her
into the chute, where she tumbles down and out of sight. Mrs. Salt
demands to know where her daughter is going. Mr. Wonka explains
that the chute containing Veruca eventually goes to the incinerator.
Mrs. Salt screams. Mr. Wonka reassures her that the incinerator might not
be lit that day. Mr. Salt tells Mr. Wonka he has gone too far. Mr.
Wonka tells Mr. Salt not to be mad, explaining that Veruca might
be stuck in the chute. The Salts burst into the squirrel room and
peer down into the shoot. The squirrels shove them down the chute
too. Very concerned, Charlie asks Mr. Wonka what will happen. Mr.
Wonka tells Charlie that things will probably be fine. Grandpa Joe
interrupts to make everyone listen to the next Oompa-Loompa song.
The song is about Veruca. It says that she is in garbage because
she is spoiled, and that her parents are to blame and therefore
they deserve to go down the chute too.
Analysis
By this point, everyone is beginning to tire of Mr. Wonka’s
antics except Charlie and Grandpa Joe. In the exchange about candies
that look ‘round, both Mike and Veruca contradict Mr. Wonka. Mr. Wonka
assures the children that they are wrong even though he knows they
are misconstruing “round” when he actually means “around.” During
this time, Charlie does not say anything contrary to Mr. Wonka’s
assertions. As the other children and their parents continue to
disagree with Mr. Wonka, he grows incensed. Charlie and Grandpa
Joe agree with Mr. Wonka’s assertions, which further separates them
from the others. Another example of the same type of word play occurs
when the group passes the room with butterscotch and buttergin.
These jokes are more immediately obvious to adults, but through
contextual clues they make sense to children as well.
