WonkaMania
Overview by David Bruce
Click here to read the first chapter
Summary
For years Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been everybody's non-pollutionary, anti-institutionary, pro-confectionery factory of fun! Now take a look at all of the pop culture icons from the original film and book: the Golden Ticket, Oompa-Loompas, and the spectacular chocolate factory. Through the lens of Scripture, readers discover what this classic tale can teach us about pride, greed, laziness, temptation, and purpose in our own walk of faith.
For years Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been everybody's non-pollutionary, anti-institutionary, pro-confectionery factory of fun!
Find Out:
- Why you should be more like an Oompa-Loompa
- If there’s a Slugworth who whispers in your ear
- What caused a $540,000 filming oops (and other fun Chocolate Factory facts)
- What the world of Wonka has to say about pride, greed, laziness, and your purpose in life
Author Bio
Kris Rasmussen has been a contributing author for CCM and Relevant magazines, specializing in pop culture and entertainment. She continues to work as a freelance writer for a variety of Christian publications and spends much of her time around young adults through her involvement with local youth ministry. She lives in Petoskey, Michigan.
From the Author
Why do we connect with certain stories more than others? And what can we learn from a story—not necessarily a Christian story—but a story that people of all ages and cultural backgrounds somehow connect with? These are the two questions I asked myself many times as I began to rediscover the amazing world of Willy Wonka.
Author Roald Dahl didn’t publicly profess to be a Christian, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is not considered a Christian book. The movie versions (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in 1971 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005) aren’t considered Christian movies either. This may surprise you, but both the book and the 1971 film adaptation weren’t considered immediate commercial successes. Yet there must be some reason why the story of a dirt-poor kid’s adventure inside a magical chocolate factory has actually increased in popularity over the past forty years. Maybe, just maybe, it all comes down to the search for meaning.
Any time we read literature or watch a movie, we have a choice in how we approach the subject matter in front of us. We can look at it simply as a form of entertainment (and there’s nothing wrong with that), we can analyze its literary or artistic merits (if our teacher forces us to), or we can search for its meaning. When we look inside of a story for meaning, we bring to it our own observations and insights. And sometimes as we grow up and change over the years, stories can grow with us, and we discover new meaning that we didn’t see before. Such was my experience with Charlie.
I must first confess I never read any of Roald Dahl’s books, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when I was a kid. But I do remember seeing the movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and enjoying the visit to a world with an endless supply of chocolate! Of course I assumed I was nothing like the bratty, whiny kids in the movie. Instead, I was like the noble, innocent Charlie, who inherited the factory and a “happily ever after� ending.
Revisiting the Chocolate Factory years later, I was surprised at my reaction to the tale. The meaning of the story had changed for me. I still found the story funny, clever, and entertaining, but I also discovered that there was much more to it than that. Underneath the fun songs and dazzling candy creations, I found that the tale of Willy Wonka is filled with a deeper layer of ideas and themes—some spiritual and some not-so-spiritual—but all worth chewing on. Who would guess that characters invented over forty years ago would still be able to give us insights into things like violence, watching too much TV, or our obsession with instant celebrity, fame, and fortune?
The past forty years have also given plenty of scholars and fans a chance to come up with their theories of what the story is really saying. Have you ever watched a movie with a friend, and both of you came away with a completely different idea of what the movie was about?When we search for meaning within a story, do we only look for what we think is the “Christian� meaning? That might be a part of what we discover, but we may also uncover many other possible meanings. Some of the Wonka theories I discovered seemed ridiculous; others were thought-provoking. Some of them reinforced my own opinions about the truths I had uncovered. And that’s one of the great benefits of this sort of digging: It lets us reflect on the characters and the plot in a fresh way and helps us discover new insights into the emotions and experiences common to all of us.
Let’s go beyond just appreciating the story. Let’s personalize it—what does it mean to you? How does it speak to you? Do you feel a connection with Charlie as he hangs on to hope by the tiniest thread? Do you want to look at the world with his innocence again instead of the skepticism and sarcasm we often give in to? Are you willing to see glimpses of yourself in the self-destructive journeys of the less lovable Veruca, Augustus, Violet, and Mike Teavee?
As you read this book, I hope you will also take time to make your own thoughtful discoveries as you see Charlie Bucket, Willy Wonka, and the other characters inside the factory with fresh eyes. May the wisdom found in Wonka’s story inspire and encourage us to behave more like an Oompa-Loompa and less like Veruca—and to believe that “if we want to change the world, there’s nothing to it.� Consider this book your personal Golden Ticket, inviting you to step inside the factory gates and discover a world of meaning. Welcome!
How to Use This Book
This book is designed to be used as a devotional look at the themes found in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, as well as the 1971 film version of the book, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. (Little reference is made to the 2005 movie version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, primarily because it was still in production at the writing of this book.)
It is important to note that while some of the themes in this devotional relate to both the book and the film, other themes are specific to the movie. I have tried to make it clear when this is the case. To use this devotional to its maximum potential, you will want to be at least somewhat familiar with the movie or the book, if not both. You will want to have a Bible nearby and a pen handy to jot down any ideas that come to you as you read.
Oh, and one more thing. You may notice that many of the themes addressed in this book are framed in the context of a question. That’s because my hope is that you’ll apply these questions to your own experiences and think about how they fit into your individual life story. You might also want to pay special attention to the sections called “The Flip Side.� In these sections, I’ve included some quirky facts and quotes that represent different points of view. Hopefully, thinking about these perspectives will help you further unwrap the truth and crave God’s Word a little bit more!