Quote 1
"Isn't it terrific?" (15.7)
Even Mr. Wonka is amazed by his own creations, as if he's seeing them for the first time.
Quote 2
"Well, well well," sighed Mr. Willy Wonka, "two naughty little children gone. Three good little children left. I think we'd better get out of this room quickly before we lose anyone else!" (22.1)
Now we've got the real story. It's the naughty children – who make foolish choices – who are gone. But the well-behaved ones will get to see the rest of the factory. Or so we think…
Quote 3
"Don't!" said Mr. Wonka quickly, but he was too late. The girl had already thrown open the door and rushed in. (24.20)
Why won't any of these kids listen? It seems like no matter what Mr. Wonka or their parents say, these kids do the exact opposite. Except our Charlie, of course.
Quote 4
"They're not for sale," Mr. Wonka answered. "She can't have one."
"Who says I can't!" shouted Veruca. "I'm going in to get myself one this very minute!" (24.19)
Veruca, Veruca, Veruca. Will you ever learn? She's so greedy she can't even understand that she simply can't have what she wants. The Oompa-Loompas, after all, are people – they're not for sale.
Quote 5
"For though she's spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can't spoil herself, you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need? […]
They are (and this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM AND DAD." (24.67)
Think about Veruca Salt's parents. And now think about Charlie's. Could they be any more different? Veruca's "loving" parents spoil her rotten, while Charlie's parents struggle to even feed their family. That hardly seems fair. But then, like Mr. Wonka says, it all comes out in the wash.
Quote 6
"We must go at once and fetch the rest of the family – Charlie father and his mother and anyone else that's around! They can all live in the factory from now on! They can all help to run it until Charlie is old enough to do it by himself!" (30.14)
Mr. Wonka's quite the family man, too. He could just give the factory to Charlie and tell him he can have it when he turns eighteen. But instead, he wants to bring the whole family in on the deal. And we can't help but be excited for them. Who could possibly deserve a break more than the Buckets?
Quote 7
"And this? Your grandfather? Delighted to meet you, sir! Overjoyed! Enraptured! Enchanted! All right! Excellent! Is everybody in now? Five children? Yes! Good!" (14.19)
Mr. Wonka seems ridiculously enthusiastic about this whole adventure. Do you think he's just off his rocker? Or does he have a reason to be so perky?
Quote 8
"Imported direct from Loompaland," said Mr. Wonka proudly.
"There's not such place," said Mrs. Salt.
"Excuse me, dear lady, but..."
"Mr. Wonka," cried Mrs. Salt. "I'm a teacher of geography..."
"Then you'll know all about it," said Mr. Wonka. (16.2-6)
This is a pretty funny moment. We've certainly never heard of a place called Loompaland, and of course Mrs. Salt hasn't either. But Mr. Wonka is so sure of himself! And the Oompa-Loompas do exist, obviously, so he can't be that crazy, can he?
Quote 9
"I'm joking," said Mr. Wonka, giggling madly behind his beard. "I didn't mean it. Forgive me. I'm so sorry." (17.60)
Let's take a closer peek at what's going on here. Augustus Gloop has just gotten sucked up out of the chocolate river and into the glass tube. His parents are, understandably, a little concerned. But what's Mr. Wonka concerned about? His chocolate, of course. Except he swears he's joking. But do we really believe him? The man lives and breathes chocolate, after all, so what's one little kid lost in the chocolate river?
Quote 10
"He's gone off his rocker!" shouted one of the fathers, aghast, and the other parents joined in the chorus of frightened shouting. "He's crazy!" they shouted.
"He's balmy!"
"He's nutty!"
"He's screwy!" (18.25-28)
And so on. The Gloops, Salts, Beauregardes, and Teavees are just about at the end of their rope. But what do you think: is Willy Wonka really off his rocker?
Quote 11
"Just as a poached egg isn't a poached egg unless it's been stolen from the woods in the dead of night!" (18.45)
Mr. Wonka is known for his puns. Can you figure this one out?
Quote 12
"Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It's made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!" (27.2)
Well, if he's talking about shredded wheat (unfrosted, of course), then we have to agree. But what's so great about this statement is that in Mr. Wonka's world, this seemingly nuts statement has a ring of truth. It's entirely possible that if Mr. Wonka were to take a crack at making breakfast cereal, he'd make it with pencil shavings.
Quote 13
"Listen," Mr. Wonka said, "I'm an old man. I'm much older than you think. I can't go on forever. I've got no children of my own, no family at all. So who is going to run the factory when I get too old to do it myself?" (30.10)
As we've been reading, Mr. Wonka's age has hardly crossed our minds at all. He's so full of energy and fun that we don't stop to think – this man is an adult. This quote's a harsh dose of reality after a fantastical romp through his factory.
Quote 14
"Mind you, there are thousands of clever men who would give anything for the chance to come in and take over from me, but I don't want that sort of person. I don't want a grown-up person at all. A grown-up won't listen to me; he won't learn. He will try to do things his own way and not mine. So I have to have a child. I want a good sensible loving child, one to whom I can tell all my most precious sweet-making secrets – while I am still alive." (30.10)
Willy Wonka gets it: kids are awesome. Adults are stubborn and set in their ways, but kids are curious, fun, and smart. Or at least most of them are.
Quote 15
"On this day, and no other, you must come to the factory gates at ten o'clock sharp in the morning. Don't be late! And you are allowed to bring with you either one or two members of your own family to look after you and to ensure that you don't get into mischief. One more thing – be certain to have this ticket with you, otherwise you will not be admitted." (12.20)
Of course, now that we've read the book, we know that most of the parents don't even come close to making sure their kids don't get into "mischief." And Charlie, the one kid who doesn't get into trouble, was never once tempted during the tour.
Quote 16
"But do be careful, my dear children! Don't lose your heads! Don't get overexcited! Keep very calm!" (15.1)
Wise advice from our Mr. Wonka. Of course it's immediately ignored by just about everyone (besides Charlie and Grandpa Joe).
Quote 17
"Oh, no! Please, Augustus, please! I beg of you not to do that. My chocolate must be untouched by human hands!" (17.1)
Now there's an interesting rule. Why must Mr. Wonka's chocolate "be untouched by human hands"? Is it because of germs? Or does Mr. Wonka have some other reason for this rule?
Quote 18
"But now, listen to me! I want no messing about when you go in! No touching, no meddling, and no tasting! Is that agreed?"
"Yes, yes!" the children cried. "We won't touch a thing!" (19.3-4)
From our experience so far, we know that this promise the children make is bound to be broken. Lo and behold, it is – this time by Violet Beauregarde.
Quote 19
"I would rather you didn't take it," Mr. Wonka told her gently. "You see, I haven't got it quite right yet. There are still one or two things..." (21.10)
We think Mr. Wonka is being very polite here. Which makes the fact that Violet takes the gum all the ruder. Why can't these kids just listen?
Quote 20
"But don't go in! Whatever you do, don't go into THE NUT ROOM! If you go in, you'll disturb the squirrels!" (24.2)
In this case, Mr. Wonka is more urgent than polite, so we know that whatever happens when one disturbs the squirrels can't be good.