著者

金子 弥生

出版者

昭和女子大学近代文化研究所

雑誌

学苑 (ISSN:13480103)

巻号頁・発行日

no.930, pp.37-49, 2018-04

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Willy Wonka, a chocolate maker, places golden tickets in five candy bars. The five children who find the Golden Tickets in the bars they purchase are invited to his chocolate factory. Each of them seems to be an only child. It is commonly believed that an only child can do whatever he or she wants to do because he or she has no siblings with competing desires. Each of the five children except for Charlie Bucket grew up in rather rich families so that they could get almost anything they wanted just by asking their parents. These rich children can, for example, buy as many candy bars as they want until they get the Golden Tickets. Since their parents spoil them, they have become very selfish. Charlie Bucket, however, must repress all his desires because his family is too poor to buy luxury foods such as candy bars. Poverty seems to be an obstacle which will prevent us from doing what we want, but actually it teaches Charlie the importance of doing what he should. Because of poverty, Charlie becomes a good boy who can control his feelings, trust other people and gain the power of observation. Also, Charlie, who is given a bar of candy as his birthday present, always feels happy when he eats it. Because he cannot eat delicious things whenever he wants, he truly appreciates it when he can. The four rich children but Charlie do not feel happy when they eat the bar of candy. They just bought them to get the Golden Tickets. Willy Wonka wants to make people happy with the candy bars he produces; only with Charlie he succeeds. For these reasons, Charlie inherits the Chocolate Factory.