Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Chapter 18 : Down the Chocolate River | Summary

Summary

Mr. Wonka promises that Augustus will be all right. He urges the rest of the group to follow him to the next room, where a pink rowboat boat "like a Viking boat of old" is waiting in the river. It's Mr. Wonka's private yacht, carved out of an enormous boiled sweet (hard candy). A hundred Oompa-Loompas are manning the oars. Everyone climbs aboard, and the boat sets off. Charlie sits with Grandpa Joe, tightly clutching the old man's hand. The adventure has already been so amazing that he wonders how there can be any "astonishments" left to see. As he and Grandpa Joe savor mugs of melted chocolate, the boat heads into a huge tunnel at breakneck speed. They pass colorful doors with enticing signs—"ALL THE CREAMS;" "WHIPS—ALL SHAPES AND SIZES"—and finally arrive at a bright red door. "Stop the boat!" yells Mr. Wonka.

Analysis

So much has been going on that it's good to be reminded of Charlie and Grandpa Joe in this chapter before the action picks up again. It's also nice to see them get something to eat! Mr. Wonka's observation that Charlie "looked starved to death" and Grandpa Joe "look[s] like a skeleton" remind the reader of his kindness, especially after his amusement at Augustus Gloop's fate. The mugs of "rich warm creamy chocolate" linger in the reader's mind. So many adjectives! Dahl's style here is one of exuberant excess.

Grandpa Joe has become a full-fledged character by now. He's quite as important as Charlie, and he's the only nice adult besides Mr. Wonka. He's the voice of sanity here. As the other parents become more and more frightened in the tunnel, they begin to shout that Mr. Wonka is crazy. "No, he is not!" says Grandpa Joe.

One expression may be unfamiliar to modern readers: "has beans." This is a play on words. A "has been" is a person who has become out of style or unimportant. Dahl slips in the phrase along with the other beans listed on the sign. When Violet queries it, Mr. Wonka tells her that she herself is a "has bean." And since she'll be the next child to go, he's right.