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A review by katharina90
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
At its core Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is such a magical story that continues to bring joy to children and adults alike.
Unfortunately its flaws are impossible to ignore: repeated body shaming/fatphobia, patriarchal ideas of how women and girls ought to behave, ableist language.
Even the whitewashing of the original text (which introduced the Oompa-Loompas as Africans smuggled to the UK in crates... yikes!) doesn't obscure the icky owner-property relationship between Wonka and his factory "workers".
I'm leaving my 4 star rating in place for now but reading this book definitely involves a lot of cringing these days.
I continue to wrestle with the legacy of authors like Roald Dahl. He was a man who unashamedly held incredibly harmful views and wrote children's books that perpetuate antisemitism, racism, sexism, fatphobia and ableism.
And yet, his stories are whimsical and fun and beloved by so many.
Can we hold space for both of these truths?
Unfortunately its flaws are impossible to ignore: repeated body shaming/fatphobia, patriarchal ideas of how women and girls ought to behave, ableist language.
Even the whitewashing of the original text (which introduced the Oompa-Loompas as Africans smuggled to the UK in crates... yikes!) doesn't obscure the icky owner-property relationship between Wonka and his factory "workers".
I'm leaving my 4 star rating in place for now but reading this book definitely involves a lot of cringing these days.
I continue to wrestle with the legacy of authors like Roald Dahl. He was a man who unashamedly held incredibly harmful views and wrote children's books that perpetuate antisemitism, racism, sexism, fatphobia and ableism.
And yet, his stories are whimsical and fun and beloved by so many.
Can we hold space for both of these truths?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Racism, and Classism