The struggle of Charlie Bucket in Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This study aims to examine the struggles of the impoverished character Charlie Bucket to win the golden ticket and the competition in Willy Wonka's factory in the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The novel tells the story of Charlie's struggle to obtain the golden ticket and his adventures during a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Therefore, in this study, the author will answer the following research questions: (1) How is the character of Charlie Bucket described in Roald Dahl's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? and (2) How does the depiction of Charlie Bucket's character influence his adventures throughout the story? This study uses a qualitative approach to obtain a clear and systematic description of the phenomenon being studied. Descriptive textual analysis was applied to analyze the quotes and conversations of the main characters in the novel. Data were collected by transcribing narratives and conversations in the novel. The transcriptions were then analyzed by identifying the character's politeness by applying the appropriate codes in the corresponding text. The analysis continued with the identification of the characters and their struggles in the novel. The results show that Charlie Bucket represents the poor class, yet maintains moral values such as honesty, simplicity, patience, and caring for family. In contrast, the other children in the story represent the bourgeoisie, characterized by consumerism, selfishness, and a condemnation of economic power. Through Charlie's struggle to obtain the golden ticket and his ability to control his personal desires, the novel emphasizes that Charlie's victory is not a coincidence, but rather the result of character and moral values that have been consistently developed since the beginning of the story. Thus, this study concludes that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory conveys a critique of social class inequality while emphasizing the ideology that moral values are more important than material wealth, especially in the context of children's literature.