Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was published first in 1964, is about Charlie’s story covering the years of his poverty to his factory ownership.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was published first in 1964, is about Charlie’s story covering the years of his poverty to his factory ownership. Adapted to cinema with the original title by Tim Burton in 2005, the novel tells about the themes of poverty, humbleness, greed, ambition, and arrogance through the children characters. While the book presents Charlie’s and his family’s poverty by referring to fortune, it praises the virtue of humbleness and patience by rewarding the main character and his family at the end of the story. Though it would be absurd in children’s literature to make references to the structural inequalities causing social injustice and poverty, emphasizing often emphasis on the notions of destiny and fortune frequently, especially in the movie, could lead children to misunderstand the world. In this regard, it may be helpful to specify the similarities and the differences between the representations of poverty in the movie and the novel, and also in the media that took new and negative forms in neo-liberal times.
This representation defined as “the culture of poverty” refers to the idea that poverty is an individual failure and deficiency that is related to laziness, contumacy, and tendency for crime, and anyone deserving can get rid of it (Erdoğan, 2007). The representation of poverty in the novel does not fit this description. Charlie and his family are not fortunate but quite honest, hardworking and kind-hearted. The poverty they suffered is indicated in a romantic style. Eating nothing but cabbage soup all the time and living in a home, which is lack of suitable physical conditions and adequate materials to get warm, the family was happy and abstemious despite all the difficulties. On the other hand, to get rid of poverty for them is based only on the fortune. The poverty in this family whose living is earned by the father working for long hours in a low-paid job is not related to economic, historical and political reasons. Thus, there are similarities between new representation of poverty in the media, and its representation at that time, when there is nothing as neo-liberal transformation in terms of not mentioning about the structural inequalities.
The book begins with an introduction about the life of Charlie and his family. Lacking the physical facilities in the house and the materials for nutrition, the well-being of the family members, particularly Charlie, was influenced quite negatively. The well-being of the children is described according to the happiness of the child, his life quality, and facilities that they have. These facilities framing the conditions of well-being should satisfy the needs of sheltering and suitable environment, education, health, and welfare (Ben-Arieh and Frones 2011). In consideration of sheltering and nutrition opportunities, we understand that Charlie’s well-being could not be fulfilled. However, Charlie was happy with his life. The teaching of the book can be interpreted in two ways: First, in the face of all the difficulties; the love for life, being a good person and the belief that one day the fortune will be on your side, will bring happiness. We realize this message when Charlie, who was “pure-hearted”, “indulgent” and “not corrupted” among other characters, was appointed as the successor of the factory at the end of the journey. Second, the income inequality, and the poverty therefore are neither social problems nor misfortunes that can be removed by pure-hearted people. An example parallel to the second interpretation; unlike other children, Charlie did not question how reliable the information Mr. Wonka provides; on the contrary, he was ready to accept the reliability of the information since he asked emotional questions. Other children and parents recognise and question the falsehood and mistakes in Mr. Wonka’s words. Asserting there is no such a country as Loompaland; finding strange that Willy Wonka produces gum although he does not like it; questioning the expressions which do not correspond to the laws of physics and of the life; parents and children were punished for losing the game. Besides, Charlie, who asked questions about Willy Wonka’s past[2] and was satisfied with the answers, was rewarded because of finishing the journey “safely”. Thus, it is emphasized that rationality is not in harmony with the imagination and the spirit of being a child. In the movie, Mike Teavee mentioned that everything in the factory is meaningless. Charlie responded him that “candies do not have the need for meaning”. Charlie’s respond made Mr. Wonka happy. This event gives the message that acceptance without questioning is valuable, and this conclusion makes us think about how valid the story is.
The story written by Roald Dahl and adapted to the film by Tim Burton, gets closer and farther to the current representation of poverty in the media. Both in the book and in the movie, the factor which causes the poverty is not social structure; rather, is such a destiny that unfortunate people are able to change as long as they continue to become hardworking and pure-hearted: No one is responsible for poverty. Contrary to the representation of poverty in the book, the new representation in media highlights the responsibilities of individuals. The state of being poor is associated with the inabilities of people but fortune as a factor is not completely ignored. The notion of “working poor”, which was emerged with wealthy states and the transformation of working relations, makes impossible to blame only the individuals. However, once more, the problem has nothing to do with the social and economic systems and the fortune as a factor gains importance. Increase in the facilities of charity in neo-liberal times was brought about by the efforts of wealthy families, who want to fulfil their “responsibilities” to remove both the “bad luck” of poor people and the ignorance of nature of the system which creates inequality. In that sense, it would not be wrong to say that Willy Wonka represents the responsible wealthy individual and that helps Charlie and his family, who are poor but “deserve” to be supported to remove their bad luck. Therefore, the story gives the reader with some advice and warnings about the ways how to get rid of the misfortune. The devotion to the imagination and the faith is the reason behind the victory of Charlie. On the other hand, rationality and realism are the features which were underrated and ignored by Willy Wonka both in the book and the movie. Questioning the falsehood in Wonka’s discourses and his actions by other children, who are not modest, indulgent and have good intentions, as much as Charlie, is crucial in this respect. This is because that the child reader would learn which attitude might make the life more beautiful, and upturn the fortune through this story.
The book, which was adapted to the movie by keeping the essence and the general frame, gives the message that the poverty related to the fortune and the austerity will be awarded one day. It emphasizes the importance of being pure-hearted, indulgent, and patient with an individualistic and fatalistic attitude. It is also quite problematic that it encourages not to be rational person, who questions everything, and promises a dream to children that will not be real.
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