In my final post,
I would like to expound upon the myriad messages and themes conveyed to viewers
throughout the work.
Rich vs. Poor
The rich are portrayed as getting
everything they desire right off the bat in this movie. Charlie looks on in envy as the children that
presumably have unlimited resources get whatever candy they so desire.
But even then, the rich of character win out in the
end. No matter how much money Veruca possesses,
she is unable to win the reward of the chocolate factory, or any of the other
exotic objects Willy Wonka possesses for that matter, because she is a
"bad egg": she is very immature and throws tantrums whenever she does
not get the object of her desire, while Charlie, a humble, rule-abiding (for
the most part) kid, forgives Wonka at the end and inherits the factory for that
reason.
Songs
This section will
be the last, since the numerous songs throughout the movie convey so many
messages. The United States was recovering from
the hippie culture at this time, as well as adjusting to the many civil rights
and feminist movements occurring at that time, but the songs do not really
reflect this, instead offering the proper ways to live and how to live more
fulfilling, enjoyable lives overall.
"Pure
Imagination"
This song tells how people "can
be free if they truly wish to be" through relying not on physical stimuli,
but by enjoying all the pleasures the mind can offer regardless of the current
situation. This sounds very much like Gottfried
Leibniz, with his "best of all possible worlds" theory, only Wonka
would argue that the best of all possible worlds is inside our heads, and that
anything we can dream up can be accomplished, if we put our minds to it. The world can be paradise, but people need to
stop trying to change the inevitable or unchangeable, and focus on the
possibilities around them, then go from there and build a life in which you
will be happy.
The Oompa Loompas
They sing many songs throughout, all
focusing on the dangers of certain actions.
The first centers upon Augustus, the boy who met his downfall when he
came upon the chocolate river and waterfall, then fell in and became trapped in
a tube that was too narrow to contain his girth. The Oompa Loompas sing about how happiness
can be found apart from greed, and that the only thing overindulging will get a
person is an overweight body or the inability to enjoy through moderation.
The next song
entails proper manners, and how it is important to chew gum every once in a
while, especially to ward off more grievous habits, but that, once again,
overindulging in the act is simply rude and obnoxious to those around the
offender. They sum up their view by
comparing Violet, the resident gum chewer, to a cow chewing cud, before
summarily rolling her away in her bloated state caused by chewing on experimental
gum.
Veruca, as stated
before, is a spoiled rich child who has no self control when it comes to
something she wants, because her factory-owning father immediately placates her
with anything she wants as soon as she asks.
This causes her to go into a frenzy when Wonka refuses to give her a
golden egg laying goose, and ends with her falling down a "bad egg"
chute when she jumps on it to give a grand finale to the song she has been
singing. The Oompa Loompas, ever
vigilant to point out the problem that the contest loser that has just
disappeared possesses, blames her parents for not having a firmer, less giving
hand, for being the cause of her snobbish, unruly behavior. B. F. Skinner, a 20th century philosopher on
behaviorism, would argue that Veruca repeats the actions of throwing tantrums
and screaming because she has been conditioned by her parents, Henry and
Henrietta, into thinking that any time this action occurs, she will receive
that object in question. This holds true
in many situations, and the only way that Vercua will overcome this type of
behavior is if her parents deny her the objects of her desire on occasion to
teach her the values of patience and respect.
The final song
the Oompa Loompas sing is focused on the danger of watching too much
television. Mike Teavee, the last boy
left in the contest besides Charlie, has a TV addiction and "he's never
even been to the table," according to his mother in her TV interview. This is seen as a very big problem, and the
Oompa Loompas believe that people should focus on reading, or just refrain from
watching TV, as it leads to a lowered IQ in their minds. Herbert Krugman, a researcher on the effects
of TV on the brain, found that people switch from Beta waves, active, engaged
waves of the brain, to alpha waves, relaxed, more sedentary types of
waves. This causes people to go into a
more relaxed states, and the Oompa Loompas point out that not exercising the
brain often enough will only hurt a person in the long run, causing them to
know less and be less active.
Word Count: 868
Total Word Count: 1537+868=2405
They're right, too much tea-vea and too little reading takes a serious toll: not only in IQ but in imagination.
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