JOURNAL

THE REPRESENTATION OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN CHARLIE AND

THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’S NOVEL

Arranged by:

Wuri Andriani

1155030283

ENGLISH LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ADAB AND HUMANITIES

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

BANDUNG

2019
THE REPRESENTATION OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN CHARLIE AND
THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’S NOVEL

An Undergraduate Thesis Journal

By
Wuri Andriani
1155030283

This is to certify that this undergraduate thesis journal has been approved by the thesis’
supervisors and will be uploaded in English Literature Department website.

Supervisor 1, Supervisor 2,

Dr. Pepi Siti Paturohmah, S.S., M. Pd. Dedi Sulaeman, M.Hum

EID. 197509302007102002 EID. 197912292008011011
THE REPRESENTATION OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN CHARLIE AND
THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY’S NOVEL

Wuri Andriani (1155030283)

English Studies Department, Adab and Humanities Faculty, Universitas Islam Negeri
Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.
Advisor 1: Dr. Pepi Siti Paturohmah, S.S., M. Pd. Advisor 2: Dedi Sulaeman, M.Hum

ABSTRACT

The object of this research is the novel of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. This
describes many unique descriptions about a great chocolate factory in which it becomes
the center story. Factory as the part of Industrialization, it becomes interested to analyze
the representation of Industrial Revolution in that novel. Thus this research is
formulated by one research problem, that is what are the representations of industrial
revolution found in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s novel? To find out that
research problem, this research applies the theory of Marxist’s perspective in industry
and applies the history of Industrial Revolution. This research focus in mimetic
criticism in which this criticism believes that literary work is imitation or representation
of human life. The results displays that there are five representation related to the
Industrial Revolution. They are the representation of exploitation men, women, and
children as labor in the factory in 1840. The representation of condition of proletariat
class who get low wage although has worked hard. The next representation is the style
of wearing certain clothes of working class in the early factory. Thus there is the
representation of consumerist society. The last is the representation of machines of
Wonka, it is represented machine as technology in the early industrial revolution.
Key Words: Representation, Industrial Revolution.

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of Study

Novel as a form of literature can be indenfied as representation of life. It means as

we know that Plato’s belief that literary work is an imitation or representation of the
world and human life (Abrams, 1999, p. 51). So, in other word it can say that novel as a
part of literature can represent a real life. Related to novel has relation to real life even
individual in reality, one form of representation of life itself can represent social
problem on individuals or society.

Literature which representation of human life it is related to mimetic criticism.

Abrams (1999, p. 51) explained that:

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 Mimetic criticism views the literary work as an imitation, or reflection, or representation of
the world and human life, and the primary criterion applied to a work is the "truth" of its
representation to the subject matter that it represents, or should represent. This mode of
criticism, which first appeared in Plato and (in a qualified way) in Aristotle, remains
characteristic of modern theories of literary realism.

It shows that literary work as an imitation (representation) appeared in Plato then

Aristotle where in this focus the important thing on literary work itself is “truth” of its
representation toward something that it represents. Based on view of novel as
representation of human life thus this research which focuses on novel will find out it
especially the case of industry through analyzes representation of industry on Charlie
and The Chocolate Factory.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is novel of children literature written by Roald
Dahl. Roald Dahl was born on Sepetember, 13th 1916 in Liandaff, England. He is a
world famous and best-selling author especially in children literature. He has written
many children’s books which won numerous awards over the years. One of it is Charlie
and The Chocolate Factory. This work has won four awards they are New England
Round Table of Children’s Librarians Award in 1972, Surrey School Award in 1973,
Millennium Children’s Book Award and Blue Peter Book Award in 2000 (Kristine,
1996). This novel also has been adapted into film with different title. The first film
entitled Willi Wonka and The Chocolate Factory in 1971 and the second film entitled
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in 2005 was directed by Tim Burton. Because it,
the researcher interested to use Charlie and The Chocolate Factory novel as the object
in this research.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory describes many unique descriptions about a
great chocolate factory in which it becomes the center story. One of it can be seen
through the description of the corridor in factory, “The corridor was so wide that a car
could easily have been driven along it” (Dahl, 1964:70). It can be imagined how long
that corridor as a part of factory then it means the factory itself is enormous building
than the corridor as the part building of it. In the first part of the story, Chocolate
Factory also is described as enormous building, “In the town itself…..there was an
ENORMOUS CHOCOLATE FACTORY! ........It was the largest and most famous in
the whole world! (Dahl, 1964:18)”

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 As we know that industry is characterized by the factory system (Wyatt, 2009). It
means the factory and all of part which related to factory is part of Industry. If look at
the history of industry or we known as Revolution Industry it is an event which could
never be forgotten by everybody in the world. As Wyatt (2009:1) notes that “The
Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in world history”. It means Industrial
Revolution is known as a crucial event in world history.
It becomes interesting to discuss whether the industrial case can be conveyed and
illustrated in children's literary works such as Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. More
importantly how the children's literature can represent the crucial events like the
Industrial Revolution. So from that reason the researcher will analyze “The
Representation of Industrial Revolution in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s
Novel”.

2. Statement of Problem

Based on the background of study above the researcher will discuss how satire as
tool of literary can represent Industry in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s novel. It
is formulated into one research question, namely:
1. What are the representations of industrial revolution found in Charlie and The
Chocolate Factory’s novel?

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

To find out the representation of industry in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’s
novel. It focuses to mimetic criticism then applies the theory of Marxist’s theory and the
history of Industrial Revolution as supporting theory.

1. Representation in Literature (Mimetic Criticism)

Based on view that the novel as representation of human life, this research which
focuses on novel will find out it especially the case of industry through analyzes
representation of industry in the novel of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. To
analyze it the researcher see the theory of representation as Stuart Hall stated that:
Representation is the production of the meaning of the concept in our minds through
language. It is the link between concepts and language which enables us to ‘refer’ to

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 either the ‘real’ world of objects, people or events, or indeed to imaginary worlds of
fictional objects, people and events (1997, p. 17).

In can be concluded that language can construct meaning through the process to
construct it then deliver something that stands in for something refer to the object,
people or an event in real world. The process itself is connected between concepts
and the language it means what our thought or imaginary about something or an
object it can be expressed through words where word and what our thought has
relation.
That fact also broadly known as Eagleton stated that:
In the ideology of realism or representation, words are felt to link up with their thoughts
or objects in essentially right and incontrovertible ways: the word becomes the only
proper way of viewing this object or expressing this thought (1996:118).

It shows that representation is expressing a thought through connect the words and
object then result expressing of that’s thought it is because words can represent
something to describe and represent meaning.
Literature which representation of human life it is related to mimetic criticism.
Abrams (1999, p. 51) explained that:

Mimetic criticism views the literary work as an imitation, or reflection, or representation of

the world and human life, and the primary criterion applied to a work is the "truth" of its
representation to the subject matter that it represents, or should represent. This mode of
criticism, which first appeared in Plato and (in a qualified way) in Aristotle, remains
characteristic of modern theories of literary realism.

It shows that literary work as an imitation (representation) appeared in Plato then

Aristotle where in this focus the important thing on literary work itself is “truth” of
its representation toward something that it represents. Based on view of novel as
representation of human life thus this research which focuses on novel will find out
it especially the case of industry through analyzes representation of industry on
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

2. Marxist’s Theory of Industry

Marx concerns to the rise of industrialism in the mid nineteenth century such
concern toward the effect of the existence of factory (Tyson, 2006, p. 61). The
existence of factory in the first industrial revolution brings the changes of the human
activity. One of it is the change of the artisans and farmer activity to the labor in the

4
factory. Factory came as the new industry where it required bodies of laborers
working and building where the machines were placed. Because it requires
collective of laborers working, it arouses the expansion of collective labor under
control the capitalist.

Marxist (in Tyson, 2006, p. 54) believes that differences in socioeconomic class
separate people between the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Bourgeoisie has control
the world’s nature, economic and human resources. Meanwhile proletariat usually is
known as the working class such as the labor of the mining, the factory work, the
ditch digging and the railroad building. Bourgeoisie has control to world’s nature,
economic and human resource it makes bourgeoisie becomes the ruling class in
society. As Marx (in Strinati, 2004, p. 120) argues that

The ideas of the ruling class are…..the ruling ideas: i.e. …. the class which has the
means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means
of mental production.
Therefore bourgeoisie as the capitalist class has control and has the means of
production (land, mines, factories, machines and so on) it gives dominant
intellectual force in society, thus the bourgeoisie societies have the power as the
ruling class to control human resource even the nature. Because of it, there is
difference behavior between one class and another class. Marxist perspective
believes that people's social behavior has a strong relationship with economic power
which is the superstructure of social realities (Asma & Rahima, 2017, p. 24).

The capitalist can exploit the proletariat societies as their employee because
proletariat societies lack the means of material production. Heller (2019, p. 12)
notes that “The capitalist mode of production is built on the exploitation of workers
by capitalists”. It means that capitalists are the ruling class because they have their
ideas in mode of production that is capitalist mode of production. Thus Marx
believed, moreover, that industrial development would increase the imbalance
(Hyman, 1975, p. 28).

Marx’s view that machine is a weapon in the hands of the capitalist that is a tool
in the class struggle (Žmolek, 2013, p. 420). The machinery itself is much expensive
where proletariat cannot buy and use it while the capitalist can do. So the capitalists
bring it into manufacturing and use it as investments and opportunities. Then

5
 appears the new capitalist mode of production that is industrial capitalism. Marx’s
belief that the labourer known as wage slavery because they become an appendage
to the machine (Žmolek, 2013, p. 416).

In the factory system the machines has an important role in producing it makes
the labor must work hard to run it then the labor becomes the source of surplus value
as the capitalist’s profit (Vries, 2008, p. 114). Marx identifies three components of
the machine are the motor mechanism, the transmitting of mechanism, and finally
the tool or working machine. To control and operate it the workman or labor
certainly has also an important role to watching the machines with his eyes and
correcting the mistakes with his hands (Žmolek, 2013, p. 426).

Factory grows to produce commodities in a great quantity it develops for

national needs in consumer goods, such as clothing and foods (Stearns, 2013, p.
196). It is why everybody become familiar with the production market thus they
interest in buying goods. Therefore it arouses consumerist society. Marxist’s view
believes that because the survival of capitalism that is a market economy which

depends on consumerism, thus it promotes sign‑exchange value. It shows that the

commodity’s value if it lies in the money or other commodities for which it can
traded (exchange value) or in the social status it confers on its owner (sign-exchange
value) not in what it can do (use value) (Tyson, 2006, pp. 62-63). It arouses the
effects of capitalism on human psychology, and the damaging effects in human’s
relationship to the commodity.

3. The History of Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution is a major turning point in world history. It has long
history on it. There are four wages of Industrial Revolution. The first wave of
industrial revolution is in the late 18th century. It is characterized by the first
transition of agrarian society into Industrial society where the machine in industrial
era as a rival of everything which has been did by agrarian society in the country.
So, there are many impact is caused industrial revolution.

Before industrial revolution, the activity of society in manufacturing and

agricultural is done by human and animals. Then it changes to factory system where

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it brings many changes in society activities. Small craftsmen in the village go down
in produce their product because factories can produce many products in a short
time than them. So at that time there are many people who doesn’t have job and
they decide to go work as labor’s factory in the city. Thus it leads to urbanization
and the rise of city.

Žmolek (2013, p. 458) notes that “There was much cruelty in the harsh
exploitation of child labor and the deskilling of workers in general, robbing them of
the chance to learn skills that would fetch better-paying jobs”. It happened because
at that time there is no choice for the worker class or poor class except be a labor in
the factory as solution. Man, woman even children go to work in the factory. The
capitalist can exploit them as the profit to run their business.

Wyatt explains that the impacts of revolution industry are rapid increase in
population, immigration, rise in consumerism, spirit created conditions for a supply
of labor to work in the larger factory (Wyatt, 2009, p. 47). The new job as factory’s
workers it does not mean give the change for them. They get low wages although
they have worked in all day long. They must also obey to the regulations in factory.
Among them are laborer must arrive when the factory whistle blew. If they come
late to the factory, they will be locked out and lose the half a day’s wage. Beside it
the workers can’t wander around the factory, chatter or sing in the factory (Stearns,
2013, p. 70).

Not only it but also there are other crises. As Stearns (2013, p. 70) adds that
“Various crises such as illness, a recession, or old age had the potential to bring
extreme misery”. Then there is also starvation which must be faced by the society at
that time. It clears that the first industrial revolution brings the various effects for
society where it brings miseries for them in that time. Behind it, there are also the
another impacts, they are the entrepreneurs who increasingly moved to concern in a
factory system, the workers who worked in the factories, the investors who provided
the capital, the consumers excitedly accepted the machine-made products (Stearns,
2013, p. 42).

The second wave of industrial revolution started in the late 19th century to the
early 20th century. This period is characterized by the discovery of electrical

7
 technology for industry. The innovation for the growth of industry in this period is
based on the science and technology. Among them are mass production of car and
plan as the transportation in that time.

The third industrial revolution appeared in the 1960s where computer and robot
systems appear as industrial equipment which has changed the operation of
machine. They take the role to control machine. It makes this period is known as
period of technology where computer and robot has role to control the machine than
human.

The last wave is the fourth industrial revolution. This period is characterized by
a much mobile internet in 21th century. This period offer a flexible way and a smart
connected between machines and systems. As Schwab (2016, p. 16) notes that “The
internet, the smart phone and the thousands of apps are making our lives easier, and
on the whole – more productive”. This period is also known as “Internet of all
things”. This fact is broadly known as Schwab (2016, p. 22) explains that “The
fourth industrial revolution is the internet of things”.

Analysis and Discussions

Industry can be characterized by the factory system (Wyatt, 2009, p. 39). It means
the factory and all of part which related to factory is the part of industry. The existence
of factory in the early factory age has brought the changes for human activites. For
instance, the farmer and artistant beceome the labor in the factory. The capitalist needs
them to run the machine in the factory. The facory itself comes as the new industry it
requires bodies of labors working and building for the machines were placed. It is why
there is exploitation of collective labor under control the capitalist. It shows that if
talking about industry, it will also talk about the attributes of it. They are the capitalist
as the owner of factory, the labor as proletariat class, the machine in the factory, and the
impact of arousing factory. All of these cases are represented in Charlie and The
Chocolate Factory’s novel as follow:

1. The Representation of Exploitation in the Early Industrial Revolution

As the capitalist who has control to world’s nature, economic and human
resource it makes bourgeoisie becomes the ruling class in society. This characteristic

8
 can be found in the character of Willy Wonka. He is described as the owner of
chocolate factory. To support his business, he exploits human resource from
Oompa-Loompas’s tribe. From this case, Willy Wonka represents the capitalist man.
It can be seen in chapter 16, line 1 of page 80. It sounds,

So I shipped them all over here, every man, woman, and child in the Oompa-
Loompa tribe. It was easy. I smuggled them over in large packing cases with
holes in them, and they all got here safely. They are wonderful workers (Dahl,
1964, p. 80).
This statement describes that Wonka exploits men, women, and children from
Oompa-Loompas’s island. Oompa-Loompas moves from Loompaland to Wonka’s
factory. It seems represent the condition of English people in the first Industrial
Revolution. When factory comes as the new industry and machine comes as the new
technology to produce commodities in factory, the factory requires many workers to
run the machine. From this satire shows that the capitalist has control to the human
resource it is why the capitalist can exploit the human resource. For this case, it
represents the condition of English society in 1840. Children began their life in the
coal mines at five, six, or seven years of age. Girls and women worked like boys and
men. It certainly shows that in that time children, women and men all of them go to
work. The capitalist exploits them to become the labor.

2. The Representation of Proletariat’s Condition in the Early Industrial

Revolution

The condition of proletariat class is represented by Bucket’s family. Proletariat

class is known as the working class usually they work as labor in the factory, at the
ditch digging, at the rail road building, and so on. This case can be seen in this
excerpt:

Mr Bucket was the only person in the family with a job. He worked in a toothpaste
factory, where he sat all day long at a bench and screwed the little caps on to the tops of
the tubes of toothpaste after the tubes had been filled. But a toothpaste cap-screwer is
never paid very much money, and poor Mr Bucket, however hard he worked, and
however fast he screwed on the caps, was never able to make enough to buy one half of
the things that so large a family needed. There wasn't even enough money to buy proper
food for them all. The only meals they could afford were bread and margarine for
breakfast, boiled potatoes and cabbage for lunch, and cabbage soup for supper (Dahl,
1964, p. 16).

9
 This excerpt represents the working class in the Industrial Revolution. Mr.
Bucket is represented as a working class who work as labor in the factory. He has
worked hard but he still get low wage. This case represents the condition of
proletariat or working class in the early Industrial Revolution. The working men
work hard in all day long but they are never paid much wage. Even their wage is not
enough to buy proper food. Because of it, they begin starve. It shows the cruelty of
capitalist. They exploit the energy of human but they do not give more feedback for
the labor because of their efforts. It is represented through Mr. Bcuket who has
worked hard with his speed to screw the tubes of toothpaste but he never pays more
wages.

3. The Representation of Labor in the Factory

In the novel, Oompa-Loompas is described as the labor in Wonka’s factory.

Wonka take them from the Loompaland thus he employee them as his worker in the
factory. The condition of Oompa-Loompas in Wonka’s factory is described in this
excerpt,

‘They still wear the same kind of clothes they wore in the jungle. They insist upon that.
The men, as you can see for yourselves across the river, wear only deerskins. The
women wear leaves, and the children wear nothing at all. The women use fresh leaves
every day…' (Dahl, 1964, p. 80)
From this case seems represent the style of wearing certain clothes of working
class in the early factory. Cheyney (1916, p. 215) states that “Girls and
women…..they were less than half clothed, and worked alongside of men who were
stark naked”. It shows that the women in Oompa-Loompas who wore fresh leaves
represent women in the early factory who wore less than half clothed. Thus the men
in Oompa-Loompa who wore only deerskins represent the men in the early factory
who were stark naked.

4. The Representation of Consumerist Society

Consumerist society is known as the impact of Industrial Revolution. It appears

as the new behavior in industrial society. The existence of Industry in the early
industrial revolution had brought the new behaviors in society. One of it was
consumerist society. It is represented in this excerpt,

10
 Only four Golden Tickets left,' said Grandpa George. 'I wonder who'll get those.'. “And
now the whole country, indeed, the whole world, seemed suddenly to be caught up in a
mad chocolate-buying spree, everybody searching frantically for those precious
remaining tickets (Dahl, 1964, p. 34).
It clearly has shown their craziness to get it they willingly take all the chocolate
in the shop. Essentially this excerpt has intention to scorn the chocolate shoppers.
They can be indicated as the consumerist society without they are aware about it.
The consumerist considers that enjoyment as an obligation. Therefore to fulfill it he
looks it as his duty to be happy, loving and adulating/adulated (Baudrillard, 1998, p.
80). It means based on the satire above that satirize the craziness of chocolate
shopper to buy chocolate because their ambition for getting golden ticket. Golden
ticket is a rule for the finders where they can be allowed to go around Wonka’s
factory as the enormous chocolate factory in the world. Everybody who can go into
the enormous chocolate factory in the world it certainly will bring the happiness for
the finder. Thus to fulfill their desire to be pleasure the shoppers in every world buy
Wonka’s chocolate bars to find the golden ticket.

5. The Representation of Machine Technology in the Factory

Related to the machine in factory, Marx identifies three components of the

machine are the motor mechanism, the transmitting mechanism, and finally the tool
or working machine (Žmolek, 2013, p. 426). It is represented in Wonka’s chocolate
factory as this excerpts shows that

Charlie Bucket stared around the gigantic room in which he now found himself. The
place was like a witch's kitchen! All about him black metal pots were boiling and
bubbling on huge stoves, and kettles were hissing and pans were sizzling, and strange
iron machines were clanking and spluttering, and there were pipes running all over the
ceiling and walls, and the whole place was filled with smoke and steam and delicious
rich smells (Dahl, 1964, p. 97).
This shows that the mechanical tools are owned by Wonka. The metal pots, kettles,
and strange iron machines become the motor mechanism in Wonka’s inventing
room. Meanwhile the transmitting mechanism is represented by the pipes which
running all over the ceiling and walls. Thus the steam becomes representation of
machine industry where it arouses in the first industrial revolution.

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CONCLUSION

Novel as part of literature is representation of human life. Thus this research tries to
represent what are the representations which exist in the novel. The focus of
representation in this research is Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is a
major turning point in world history. It has long history on it. The cases of Industrial
Revolution with the various cases at that time are represented in the novel of Charlie
and The Chocolate Factory. Among them are the representations of the condition of
English society in 1840. Children began their life in the coal mines at five, six, or seven
years of age. Girls and women worked like boys and men. The representation of
proletariat class, they worked hard in all day long but they are never paid much wage.
Even their wage is not enough to buy proper food. The next is the representation of the
style of wearing certain clothes of working class in the early factory. Cheyney (1916, p.
215) states that “Girls and women…..they were less than half clothed, and worked
alongside of men who were stark naked”. There are also the representations of
consumerist society as the impact of industrial then machine as technology in the early
factory.

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