The Golden Ticket to Everyone's Sweet Tooth: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one boy with a golden ticket that would change his childhood. Roald Dahl's children's story takes the ones with a sweet-tooth on an adventure to remember as we follow Charlie, a boy who lives with four grandparents on a journey through the infamous Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

On the aspect of food in Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, food becomes a method of representing poverty. We are exposed early on to the idea of poverty as "Only once a year, on his birthday, did Charlie Bucket ever get to taste a bit of chocolate. The whole family saved up their money for that special occasion, and when that great day arrived, Charlie was always presented with one small chocolate bar to eat all by himself." This chocolate bar becomes a symbol endearment by Charlie's grandparents as "the whole family had saved up their money," this implies that Charlies' background is not that of a well-established middle class but the poor working class, however, it also accentuates the care and love they have for Charlie. 

Charlies love for chocolate is made evident as "each time he received it, on those marvelous days, he would place it carefully in a small wooden box that he owned and treasure it as though it were a bar of solid gold; and the next few days he would allow himself only to look at it, but never touch it." This sweet treat for our Charlie is comparable to a block of gold in his eyes which emphasizes the amazement that he gets when receiving this bar of chocolate. Moreover, this sensation of treasuring his bar of chocolate contrasts with how other kids that are able to afford chocolate greatly making Charlie seem more humble. Charlie would see "other children taking bars of creamy chocolate out of their pockets and munching them greedily, and that,. of course, was pure torture," this line underlines a difference in class between Charlie who has to wait once a year for his bar of chocolate in comparison to others who are able to afford them on a daily basis. Dahl uses food as a means of immediately portraying a distinct difference in social class between Charlie and other children, however, it also makes Charlie seem more humble by treasuring his annual gift of a chocolate bar.

The aspect of hope is another aspect in which Dahl touches upon using food. There is a great disparity in class between him and other children as Charlie doesn't normally stand a chance in obtaining a ticket unless... a miracle should, and did happen. When purchasing bars of chocolate from the shop Charlie is described as grabbing it "quickly tore off the wrapper and took an enormous bite. Then he took another . . . and another . . . and oh, the joy of being able to cram large pieces of something sweet and solid into one's mouth! The sheer blissful joy of being able to fill one's mouth with rich solid food!" There is a sense of comfort towards from Charlie towards chocolate but, in contrast to the beginning, he would normally savor his chocolate bar, however, when he can afford to purchase one he immediately devours it. This could be inferred as actions of the upper-class children who can afford to spend money on chocolate every day as the words "cram" suggests his anxious, or greedy nature and "grabbed it quickly and tore off the wrapper" elicits a sense of urgency towards his actions. However, despite these contradicting actions, Charlie is revealed to be the last winner of the golden ticket winning a life-changing trip to Wonka's Chocolate Factory, despite being from a background of poverty Dahl utilizes food as a way to generate hope as well as a familial bond between Charlie and his grandparents.

With Christmas on its way and on the topic of chocolate go grab yourself a mug and make yourself some hot chocolate! Wrap up and I hope you enjoy the velvety, delicious and sweet bliss that Charlie is so fond of!