Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory follows Charlie Bucket, a poor boy who finds one of five Golden Tickets that grant a tour of Willy Wonka's secret chocolate factory. One by one the other four spoiled children come to sticky ends, and Charlie, the only one left, wins the greatest prize of all.
Charlie returns in the sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Charlie Bucket | Poor, kind boy |
| Grandpa Joe | Charlie's grandfather, who joins the tour |
| Willy Wonka | Eccentric chocolate maker |
| Augustus Gloop | Greedy boy |
| Veruca Salt | Spoiled girl who wants everything |
| Violet Beauregarde | Gum-chewing girl |
| Mike Teavee | Boy obsessed with television |
| The Oompa-Loompas | Wonka's tiny, singing workers |
How does Charlie get a Golden Ticket?
Charlie lives in a tiny house with his parents and four grandparents, who share one bed. Willy Wonka announces that five Golden Tickets are hidden in chocolate bars. Augustus, Veruca, Violet and Mike find four of them. Hungry and cold, Charlie finds a coin in the snow, buys a bar, and then a second one, which holds the last ticket.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens on the tour?
Grandpa Joe leaps out of bed to go with Charlie. Inside the factory are a chocolate river and waterfall, edible grass and the Oompa-Loompas, who sing a song mocking each child who misbehaves.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to the four other children?
Augustus drinks from the chocolate river, falls in and is sucked up a pipe. Violet grabs an experimental gum that tastes like a three-course meal and swells into a giant blueberry. Veruca demands one of the trained squirrels who sort nuts, and they push her down the garbage chute, followed by her parents. Mike sends himself by television and is shrunk to a tiny size. Each leaves the factory changed.
↑ Back to the topHow does it end?
Charlie is the only child left. Wonka reveals that the tour was a test to find an heir: he is getting old, and he wanted a good child to run the factory. In the Great Glass Elevator they burst through the roof and fly to Charlie's house, and Wonka invites the whole Bucket family, bed and all, to come and live in the factory.
↑ Back to the topMore about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.