Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

“‘Oh, my dears!’ cried Grandma Georgina. ‘We’ll be lixivated, every one of us!’ ‘More than likely,’ said Mr. Wonka.”

Wonka, as a rule, incorporates dangerous and ridiculous approaches in his daily life, believing that silliness is a vital way of living. He embodies the novel’s key theme, Imagination and Adventure, and is humorously nonchalant about possible death. On the other hand, Grandma Georgina conforms to the stereotype of a fretful old woman, constantly screaming in fear and fright.

“It’s…it’s all made of glass and it’s kind of square and it’s got lots of people inside it! They’re all floating about like fish in a tank!”

Dahl utilizes Shuckworth’s perspective to conjure the humorous image of the Buckets, the bed, and Wonka floating around in the glass elevator. The simile “floating like fish in a tank” paints a vivid picture of this unexpected and hilarious sight.

“‘What a load of luck!’ cried Mr. Wonka. ‘We’ve landed ourselves slap in the middle of the biggest space operation of all time!’ ‘We’ve landed ourselves in the middle of a nasty mess!’ said Grandma Josephine. ‘Turn back at once!’”

Wonka and Josephine’s reactions are contrasted to elucidate their opposite personalities. Where Wonka sees the potential for excitement and adventure, Grandma Josephine sees only fear and danger. Dahl subtly suggests, through Wonka, that life is more joyous when you have an adaptable and positive mindset.

“‘Yippeeeee!’ shouted Grandpa Joe. ‘What a brilliant thought, sir! What a staggering idea!’ He grabbed Mr. Wonka’s hand and started shaking it like a thermometer. ‘Be quiet, you balmy old bat!’ said Grandma Josephine. ‘We’re in a hot enough stew already! I want to go home!’”

Dahl contrasts Grandpa Joe’s vivacity with his wife’s fretful nature. Grandpa Joe, like Wonka, sees boarding Space Hotel “U.S.A.” as an opportunity for excitement and adventure. On the other hand, Grandma Josephine feels only frightened by the prospect. Through the contrasting natures of the grandparents, Wonka suggests that old age is a disposition, rather than a physical and mental inevitability, and that youthful vigor can be retained with the right mindset. He also suggests through Grandpa Joe that embracing new experiences allows you to enjoy life, rather than fear it.

“There was the Chief of the Navy and the Chief of the Air Force and a sword swallower from Afghanistan, who was the President’s best friend. There was the President’s Chief Financial Adviser, who was standing in the middle of the room trying to balance the budget on top of his head, but it kept falling off.”

Dahl introduces the theme of Politicians as Ineffectual and Ridiculous through the President’s advisory team. Hilariously, the team contains many individuals who are typically included, such as the Chief of the Navy and the Chief of the Air Force, but it also contains individuals who should obviously not be handling an international crisis, such as the sword swallower from Afghanistan. Furthermore, the Chief Financial Advisor’s attempts to literally balance the budget point to his incompetence. This humorous play on words is typical of Dahl’s style, which often uses wordplay and hyperbole for comedic effect.

“Mr. Wong, assistant stationmaster, Chunking, and if you asking about ten o’clock train, ten o’clock train no lunning today.”

Much of the humor in Chapter 4 relies on racist characterizations. The stationmaster’s dialogue, which is intended to be read phonetically, employs stereotyped Chinese-accented English. Some of Roald Dahl’s works have been revised to reflect modern standards; critics of these changes do not believe that Dahl’s work should be changed to cater to perceived over-sensitivity, especially given Dahl’s strong and public declaration that he wanted none of his work changed. At the time of writing (September 2023), Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator has not been revised or changed.

“‘This is the Gilligrass Patent Fly-Trap!’ They all crowded round to look.”

In the midst of the Space Hotel “U.S.A.” disaster, President Gilligrass develops a fly trap. The invention, which relies upon a fly falling through a missing rung on a ladder to break its neck, is ridiculous, as is the President’s timing. President Gilligrass’s invention in the midst of a potential terrorist bombing characterizes him as hyperbolically stupid and unqualified for his role.

“Twenty tremendous chandeliers hung shimmering from the ceiling. The walls were covered with valuable pictures and there were big soft armchairs all over the place. At the far end of the room there were five elevator doors. The group stared in silence at all this luxury.”

Space Hotel “U.S.A.” is characterized by its opulence, made the more outlandish by the fact that it is an enormous hotel in space. It functions as a symbol of consumerist greed and excess, and its fate is therefore a rebuke of ostentatious wealth and spending.

“Then he took an enormous deep breath and in a wild and fearsome voice, he yelled out: ‘KITIMBIBI ZOONK! FIMBOLEEZI ZOONK GUGUMIZA ZOONK! FUMIKAKA ZOONK! ANAPOLALA ZOONK ZOONK ZOONK!’”

Unexpectedly and for no apparent reason, Wonka yells nonsense when the President demands that they identify themselves. This leads the President and his advisors to conclude that Wonka and the Buckets are aliens, leading them to invite the Buckets and Wonka to the White House. This interaction is typical of Wonka, whose chaotic and silly nature often leads to unexpected outcomes.

“It soon began to dawn on me

He wasn’t very bright,

Because when he was twenty-three

He couldn’t read or write.”

Miss Tibbs, the President’s nanny and America’s vice president, sings a song that emphasizes the President’s stupidity. Through this direct characterization, Dahl offers a critique of politicians, suggesting they use “tricks” rather than intelligence to get elected and are unqualified to lead their countries in times of crisis.

“‘I doubt very much if that capsule of theirs is Knidproof,’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘Then we must help them!’ cried Charlie. ‘We’ve got to do something! There are a hundred and fifty people inside that thing!’”

Charlie’s courage and compassion come across in his declaration that the occupants of the Commuter Capsule must be assisted, despite the danger posed by the Vermicious Knids. He functions as the story’s hero, displaying selflessness where many of his other family members—mainly Grandma Georgina and Grandma Josephine—are more concerned with their own well-being.

“Grandpa Joe, shouting war cries and throwing curses at the Knids, was down below turning the handle that unwound the steel rope.”

Grandpa Joe enthusiastically participates in the rescue of the occupants of the Commuter Capsule from the swarms of Knids, despite the danger of the situation. Grandpa Joe’s characterization as adaptable, energetic, and positive suggests that becoming curmudgeonly and sedate is not an inevitability in old age, and that youthfulness is a state of mind.

“Wonka-Vite: Each pill will make you younger by exactly 20 years. CAUTION DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN THE AMOUNT RECOMMENDED BY MR. WONKA.”

The cautionary note on the pill bottle of Wonka-Vite foreshadows the three grandparents’ greed; they each take four tablets, rather than the recommended one or two. As in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the factory presents temptations that test individuals, punishing selfishness and a lack of restraint and rewarding altruism and temperance.

“The trunk (and the suitcase) of an elephant.”

The ingredient list for making Wonka-Vite is presented in a way that conforms to the conventions of recipes, but with ridiculous (and ridiculously specific) items. Dahl employs plays on words for comedic effect, referring to the trunk of an elephant as both a body part and an item of luggage.

“‘That’s right,’ Charlie said. ‘Please, Grandma, why don’t you just take one or two each, like Mr. Wonka said, and that’ll leave some for Grandpa Joe and mother and father.’”

The Wonka-Vite functions as a characterization tool, revealing the true nature of each of the family members. Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina, and Grandma Josephine are shown to be greedy and lacking in restraint, whereas the Grandpa Joe and Charlie are shown to be temperate, as is illustrated in their wise counsel to the three grandparents to stop arguing and share the pills with everyone.

“‘My dear madam’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘If she was only seventy-eight and she took enough Wonka-Vite to make her eighty years younger, then naturally she’s vanished. She’s bitten off more than she could chew! She’d taken off more years than she had.’”

Mr. Wonka, with his trademark nonchalance in the face of inconceivable and unbelievable information, explains that Grandma Georgina has been sent to Minusland, because she “minused” more years from her life than she had lived. As in the case of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the factory presents temptations and then punishments for those who show greed and selfishness; Grandma Georgina is punished for her greed by being sent to Minusland. As in the rest of Wonka’s chocolate factory, there is sense and logic among the nonsense. It makes mathematical sense that Grandma Georgina would spend two years in Minusland before being reborn, and it is also a dispensing of poetic justice.

“‘I’ve always been lucky so far, my boy. Hey! Take a look out there! Quick!’”

With typical nonchalance, Wonka hopes that they don’t have a high-speed collision with the other elevator, which, absurdly, uses the same track but goes in the opposite direction. As this scene illustrates, Wonka’s factory contains wondrous sights, but also dark and dangerous elements. Furthermore, Wonka’s relaxed delivery reflects the way that he welcomes chaos, nonsense, and possible disaster into his life. His attitude emphasizes the benefits of calmly accepting life’s challenges.

“Charlie caught a glimpse of what seemed like an enormous quarry with a steep craggy-brown rock-face, and all over the rock-face there were hundreds of Oompa-Loompas working with picks and pneumatic drills.

‘Rock candy,’ said Mr. Wonka. ‘That’s the richest deposit in the world.’”

Satirical, joyous versions of industries and environmental features exist underneath the factory, such as quarries for candy and derricks for chocolate. This connects to the theme Imagination and Adventure, which the factory epitomizes.

“A pint of sap from a 4000-year-old Bristle-Cone Pine.

The toenail clippings from a 168-year-old Russian farmer called Petrovitch Gregorovitch.”

Like Wonka-Vite, Vita-Wonk is made with a range of hilarious and fantastical ingredients. As is typical of Dahl’s humor, the list imitates the conventions of a shopping list of ingredients, but is outlandishly specific and strange. Still, there is a logic in the ingredients for Vita-Wonk (a serum designed to age an individual) being made from old things.

“Propped up against the pillows at the other end of the bed was the most extraordinary looking thing Charlie had ever seen. Was it some ancient fossil?”

Incredibly, Grandma Georgina is aged to be over 300 years old. As is typical of Wonka’s world, events can defy the laws of science. Furthermore, Grandma Georgina’s extreme aging constitutes a kind of poetic justice for her greed.

“I wish now to show the gratitude of the nation by inviting all eight of those incredibly brave astronauts to come and stay in the White House for a few days as my honored guests.”

Charlie’s insistence that they save the people on the Commuter Capsule is rewarded when he and his family and Wonka are invited to the White House. Just as greed and gluttony are punished in the novel, bravery and altruism are rewarded.

“P.S. Could you please bring me a few Wonka Fudge-Mallow Delights […] And don’t tell Nanny.”

Hilariously, the President asks to be brought some chocolate bars, but asks that his nanny not be told. This postscript further characterizes the President as childlike and unfit to lead.

“‘Yippeeeeeeeee!’ he yelled out, and he flew across the room and caught Charlie by the hands and the two of them started dancing away along the bank of the chocolate river.”

Grandpa Joe’s exuberant dance with Charlie reflects his youthful nature. Through Grandpa Joe, Dahl suggests that having a positive outlook allows one to remain young at heart.