Imperialism, Racism, And Willy Wonka

Imperialism, Racism, and Willy Wonka

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a children's book written by British author Roald Dahl in 1964. The story features the fascinating adventures of five lucky youngsters and their parents as they explore the inside a world-famous chocolate factory. The owner of this factory is the mysterious Willy Wonka, who’s plant just recently re-opened its doors after being closed for years due to spies stealing his secret recipes. The chosen participants are; Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and the unsuspecting hero of the book Charlie Bucket. Each child possesses unique qualities and flaws which are brought to the surface during the story. This book was published for young readers, but

The main topic of focus in this paper will be Imperialism.

In Patrick Brantlinger’s: Rule of Darkness: British Literature and Imperialism, he discusses the different ways which imperialism is clearly seen in British literature during the 1900’s. Great Brittan used literature as the preferred type of media to extend their political beliefs and push their influence out to the rest of the world. Per Brantlinger, “Imperialism, understood as an evolving but pervasive set of attitudes and ideas towards the rest of the world, influenced all aspects of the British culture”. He explains the massive influence imperialism had on the culture that our author, Roald Dahl, was subjected to during his writing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Brantlinger says that British people during the mid-twentieth century were extremely ethnocentric and viewed the culture of others in a negative light when comparing

The pure slave labor of the Oompa-Loompas, the satirical mockery of the Indian prince, and the undesirable portrayal of American society’s flaws are all undeniable examples of ethnocentrism and must be explored through an imperialistic