Summary
When he sees Augustus drinking from the river, Mr. Wonka
pleads with him to stop, saying that his chocolate must remain unsullied
by human hands. Mr. and Mrs. Gloop also try to stop Augustus, but
he ignores all of them. As he leans farther out into the river—Mr. Gloop
warning him not to lean so far, and Mrs. Gloop warning him not to
spread his cold to millions of children—he falls in and disappears
below the surface. Mrs. Gloop screams for her husband to do something.
Mr. Gloop hesitates, as he is wearing his best suit, but finally
begins to disrobe. But before he can even remove his jacket, Augustus
is sucked under the surface again and becomes wedged in one of the
great pipes. Mrs. Gloop screams for help. Mr. Gloop wonders how
the pipe can contain his son. Charlie and Grandpa Joe also worry
for Augustus. Finally, the pressure builds to a breaking point beneath
Augustus and he shoots up the pipe like a rocket and disappears.
Mrs. Gloop demands to know where her son is while Mr.
Wonka attempts to keep her calm by explaining that Augustus will
be just fine. Mrs. Gloop refuses to believe him, fearing that her
son will end up as a marshmallow. Mr. Wonka assures her that Augustus
cannot become a marshmallow—after all, the pipe leads to a fudge
room. The Gloops grow indignant when they perceive that Mr. Wonka
is laughing at them. Mr. Wonka is indeed laughing, but he again assures
the Gloops that their son will be fine. He tells them that making
Augustus into fudge would not make sense because no one would want
to buy it. Mrs. Gloop demands to see her son. Mr. Wonka snaps his
fingers and an Oompa-Loompa appears before him. Mr. Wonka instructs
the Oompa-Loompa to escort Mr. and Mrs. Gloop to the fudge room.
The Oompa-Loompa laughs out loud in response to the instructions.
After reprimanding the Oompa-Loompa, Mr. Wonka tells him to hurry
and find Augustus before he falls into the boiler. Much to Mrs.
Gloop’s chagrin, Mr. Wonka jokes about how inedible the fudge would
be. After hastily reminding Mrs. Gloop that he is only joking, he
bids farewell to the Gloops as the Oompa-Loompa whisks them away.
As the Gloops exit, the other Oompa-Loompas on the far side of the
river begin dancing, beating drums, and singing a song about Augustus’s
greed and how they will change him for the better without harming
him. Mr. Wonka reminds the remaining audience that the Oompa-Loompas
love to sing, but that the subjects of their songs are always nonsense
and not to be believed. Charlie asks Grandpa Joe if the songs are
really nonsense and Grandpa Joe says that they must be.
Mr. Wonka ushers the crowd along at a brisk pace while
reassuring everyone that Augustus will be fine. Suddenly a large,
pinkViking-style boat appears on the river, rowed by a hundred Oompa-Loompas.
Upon seeing the children and their parents, the Oompa-Loompas burst
into laughter. Violet demands to know why they are laughing, but
Mr. Wonka tells her to disregard the Oompa-Loompas’ laughter, as
they think everything is a joke. Everyone boards the boat, and the
Oompa-Loompas begin rowing downstream. Mr. Wonka asks Mike Teavee
not to lick the boat and Veruca Salt tells her father that she wants
a boat like Mr. Wonka’s. Overhearing Veruca’s demand, Grandpa Joe
whispers to Charlie that Veruca needs a good swift kick. Charlie
clings to his grandfather and wonders how there could be anything
more astonishing than what he has already witnessed. Mr. Wonka interrupts
Charlie and Grandpa Joe’s conversation by handing each a mug overflowing
with chocolate from his river. He tells them both to drink and asks
why they look so frail. Grandpa Joe tells Mr. Wonka that there is
not much to eat in their household. After drinking the chocolate,
Charlie tells Mr. Wonka how wonderful it is. Mr. Wonka replies that
his secret is mixing the chocolate by waterfall.
Mr. Wonka urges the Oompa-Loompas to row faster as the
boat enters a dark tunnel. This causes screams from the group. Violet worries
that the Oompa-Loompas cannot possibly see where they are going,
which Mr. Wonka confirms. All of the parents respond in chorus that
Mr. Wonka is crazy. Only Grandpa Joe disagrees. Mr. Wonka calls
for light and the tunnel instantly lights up, showing the passengers
a spotless tube and the river moving below them at a frightful pace.
He tells the Oompa-Loompas to row even faster. Mr. Wonka, enjoying
himself tremendously, glances around to observe his guests. Grandpa
Joe notices numbered doors in the tunnel with strange signs such
as “ALL CREAMS INCLUDING HAIR CREAM.” Mike Teavee logically asserts
that Mr. Wonka does not use hair cream. Mr. Wonka ignores him. Veruca
and Violet ask about similarly nonsensical signs such as “WHIPS
FOR WHIPPING CREAM” and “BEANS INCLUDING HAS BEANS.” Mr. Wonka explains
to Violet that she is a “has bean” and that there is no time for
arguing. He calls for the boat to halt.
Analysis
Dahl begins this section by comparing Augustus Gloop to
a dog, which proves to be a fair comparison. He listens to his stomach above
all else and seems to have no control over his animalistic urges.
He does not even hear people speaking to him while he drinks from
the chocolate river. Like a dog, he might eat himself to death if given
the chance. Mr. Wonka is extremely nonchalant in reaction to Augustus’s
disappearance: he too seems to treat Augustus like an animal. By
telling Mrs. Gloop that Augustus will be fine, Mr. Wonka implies
that Augustus will be better off after his journey up the pipe and
the lesson it will teach him. The pain and humiliation will cleanse
Augustus of his disgusting habits, and he will leave the factory
a better person. Though this is obvious to Mr. Wonka, it is less so
to the Gloops, who are incensed at Mr. Wonka’s unfeeling reaction.
Dahl continues to employ nonsensical themes in this section,
as when he says Augustus cannot possibly be made into a marshmallow
because the pipe in which he is trapped does not lead to the marshmallow
room. This does nothing to comfort the Gloops, but Mr. Wonka is
not interested in comforting them. Rather, he wants to teach them
a lesson. Afterward, Mr. Wonka tries to reassure the Gloops that
he would never make their son into fudge because it would not taste
good and no one would want to buy it. Although readers can see humor
in the response, Mr. Wonka’s seeming coldness enrages the Gloops.
This style of narration allows young readers of Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory to feel wiser than some of the
characters. The mystique of Mr. Wonka is also elaborated on in these
chapters. Echoing the biblical pronouncement in the book of Genesis,
Mr. Wonka calls for light and it appears. Indeed, Mr. Wonka is the
supreme being of his own world, and he has the power to submit his
guests to whatever he chooses.
