달콤한 초콜릿과 씁쓸한 자본주의

Sweet Chocolate and Bitter Capitalism:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The purpose of this study is to define the meaning of chocolate and to reveal how Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory supports the stereotyped ending of traditional fairy tales. In addition, this article observes the characteristics of capitalism hidden under Mr. Wonka’s “Enormous Chocolate Factory.” Dahl uses chocolate as a metaphor of desire and a criterion for self-control or moderation. While telling the wildest story to his child-readers, Dahl seems to reinforce one of the most important features in fairy tales; reward for good and honest heroes and punishment for wicked and rude characters. Charlie, “a fine little fellow” who always behaves gently, deserves to be rewarded. He becomes “rags-to-riches.” To get one of Mr. Wonka’s five Golden tickets, poor Charlie needs money to buy a chocolate bar. Without money, he cannot enter the current system of capitalism. The only way to break into the circuit is just to wait for fairy-godmother’s magic spell; to pick up a dollar which is thrown away from the circuit for a little while. Golden Tickets operate not only as a key to enter that enchanted place, but also as litmus paper to find out whether the child is appropriate to be a successor or not. Like passive Charlie, Oompa-Loompas, the laborers in that factory who come from Loompaland, are another passive characters. Oompa- Loompas look like slaves in the plantation; living and working in the factory, wearing deerskins or leaves, communicating only with Mr. Wonka, and being testees for inventing new products. The fantastic world of Mr. Wonka's chocolate factory shows a two-faced dream For a kind and modest child, it can be a hopeful dream to be an heir. However, for a rude or greedy child, it might be a terrible nightmare to fall into the garbage chute. Through his story, Dahl retells a moral of fairy tales, “Be a good child.”