H01, Group 2: Philosophy and a Chocolate Factory 1/3

     My blog will entail cataloging the various views and intriguing qualities surrounding the characters, story line, and time period surrounding the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  I am still undecided on how to break up the four parts, but I will try to make them as distinct as possible. 

Common Ideas Between Willy Wonka and Actual Historical Philosophers

Voltaire:

     One of the most prominent quotes that stood out to me was the statement that Willy Wonka made before entering the "Wonkavision" room: "if the Good Lord had intended for us to walk, He wouldn't have invented roller skates."  This view seems to go along with Voltaire's criticism of Leibniz, as it was made in response to a boy who said that such a short distance could have been accomplished on foot.  In Candide, a book written by Voltaire, Pangloss, an overly optimistic philosopher of metaphysico-theologico-cosmolo-nigology portrayed as someone following Leibniz's creed, makes a similar declaration by saying, " noses were made to support spectacles, hence we have spectacles."  Both are using obviously incorrect statements to subtly point out the error of an opponent and make fun of them at the same time. 

A funny illustration of the scene in which Pangloss expresses his view:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/files/original/candide.asp

Seneca:

     Seneca and Willy Wonka would have gotten together very swimmingly, as both had a similar view on happiness and living life in general.  Seneca believed that the best life to live was one spent in a solitary, quiet place where much thinking could be done.  Willy Wonka locks himself up in his factory for years, thinking up new candies and sweets, devising a radical contest to figure out the subsequent heir, and studying all the while from myriad sources, Biblical, poetic, or otherwise.  His unique personality is derived from his reclusiveness and lack of contact with humanity, except through the strange Oompa Loompas, who seem to have little interaction other than receiving and carrying out orders.  Such a life would be very lonely in my eyes, and apparently Wonka ended up feeling the need to pass his empire onto a deserving individual, so I wonder whether Seneca truly would have been happy with such a depressing outlook.

The lonely life of a reclusive bachelor with only candy for company

Socrates:

     From the accounts still in existence of Socrates, he and Wonka must have had very similar personalities.  Wonka enjoys uttering small, quick quips at the people he has invited into his factory, and then confusing and throwing them off guard by asking questions or making statements contrary to the norm.  Socrates liked to stir up strife by asking questions that people had to take the time to think through, and in both the chocolate factory and the ancient market people run into trouble by answering such jabs without thinking through the full implications thoroughly beforehand.

               

     His propensity for making such philosophically charged quips allows him to be a much more dynamic character, if only one delves deeper into the many quote that he states throughout the movie.  I hope to scratch the surface and uncover some of these in some of my later posts, I hope this one was enjoyable.

Mason Riley

Word Count: 529

Total Word Count: 529