ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities

Volume 4 Issue 2, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v4i2.13634
Homepage: journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/jish
Parenting Styles and Their Impact on Children’s Behavior in Dahl’s Charlie and The
Chocolate Factory

Desy Eva Laila Rokhmah1*, Martha Betaubun1

1Universitas Musamus, Indonesia
*Correspondence: [email protected]

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Parenting is a necessary component of human development. It assists children in Published June 24th 2021
developing the competencies necessary to function in and face society as adults. A
good parenting approach would assist the child in functioning optimally in the society;
on the other hand, a poor parenting practice would increase the child's susceptibility to
negative behavior and ultimately ruin the child's future. This paper aims to demonstrate KEYWORDS
Dahl's portrayal of parenting styles and their effect on children’s behavior in Charlie and Parenting Styles, psychology of
literature, Child’s Behaviour,
the Chocolate Factory. The study was performed using the psychology of literature
Roadh Dahl
approach, with Baumrind's parenting framework serving as the underlying theory. The
finding demonstrates that parental parenting styles serve as the "mold" for children's
ARTICLE LICENCE
actions as portrayed by the characters in the story. (1)Permissive parenting, as © 2021 Universitas Hasanuddin
demonstrated by Veruca Salt and Augustus Gloob, (2)Authoritarian parenting, as Under the license CC BY-SA
demonstrated by Violet Beauregarde, (3)Uninvolved/ Neglectful parenting, as 4.0
demonstrated by Mike Teavee, and (4)Authoritative parenting, as demonstrated by
Charlie Bucket, the main protagonist.

1. Introduction
Literature is an excellent educational tool because it portrays human nature (Rahman, 2019). For instance, in
entertaining literature, we are captivated by suspense, comedy, and the intense action of a compelling story. It conveys
the author's insights into human nature and demonstrates the intricate ways in which human nature, action, and
circumstance interact to produce a chain of consequences and outcomes (Mansyur & Suherman, 2020). Fine pieces of
literature illuminate the dynamic relationships between behavior, individual character, and the changing character of the
culture in which the action takes place (Rahman, 2010). By exploring the full range of human emotions and engaging
readers' feelings and experiences, children's literature encourages children to question their own beliefs and develops an
ability to understand others (Rahman, 2017).
Children's literature, according to Hunt et al., (2002) is a "writing that is suitable for and intended for children.”.The
development of children's literature influenced how children read, how they learn in school, and how they perceive the
world. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of the greatest works of children's literature. In 1964, Roald Dahl authored
a British author best known for his unsentimental children's books. He is the author of several darkly humorous stories,
including James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, the Witches, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory teaches readers valuable lessons about the parent-child relationship. The story
is more than just a poor boy discovering a Golden Ticket inside a Wonka chocolate bar, earning him access to Mr. Willy
Wonka's Chocolate Factory and eventually the role of Mr. Wonka's successor. Within this fantastic story are life lessons
for both parents and children that remain as relevant today as they were in 1964 when the book was first published.
There are several stages in a human life span, ranging from prenatal to late adulthood. Child rearing, also known
as parenting, is an essential part of the human development process that can be regarded as a "mold" for the children's
future (Surya, et al., 2017). As a result, parents must increase their awareness of the parenting role and their understanding
of how parenting affects children's well-being and opportunities in life. Furthermore, the majority of people believe that it
is the parents' responsibility to provide for their children's future. Therefore, parents must provide their children with the
best resources possible in order to ensure that they have a better life (Arniati, et al., 2019).

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Researches have been conducted to investigate individual differences as the result of various styles of parenting.
Baumrind (1967) developed standard categorization, furthermore, Maccoby & Martin (1983) extend the model to a revised
version. According to Baumrind (1971), parenting styles can be classified into two categories: demandingness and
responsiveness. The degree to which parents demonstrate control, demands for maturation, and supervision is referred
to as demandingness. The degree to which they demonstrate affective warmth, acceptance and involvement toward their
children is referred to as responsiveness.
Baumrind (1967, 1971) identified three parental styles based on these two characteristics: authoritarian,
authoritative, and permissive. In a subsequent extension of the framework, Maccoby and Martin (1983) divided the
permissive style further to create a fourth style: neglectful (also known as “uninvolved”). Baumrind (1991) depicted
authoritarian parenting as having high levels of demandingness but low levels of responsiveness in this framework. These
parents are primarily concerned with controlling their children's behaviors and attitudes, and they demand obedience and
respect for authority. Baumrind (1991), on the other hand, defined authoritative parents as having both a high level of
demandingness and a high level of responsiveness. Even though these parents monitor their children's behavior, they use
nonpunitive forms of punishment when expected behaviors are not met. When establishing rules, authoritative parents
consider their children's perspectives and are supportive of them.
Permissive parenting is a third parenting style where parents are less demanding and more responsive to their
children. Permissive parents, like authoritative parents, have a warm and accepting attitude toward their children; however,
because of their nondemanding behaviors, they have little control over their children and enforce few rules (Baumrind,
1991). Finally, the fourth style is neglectful. Both demandingness and responsiveness are low among parents who are
neglectful or uninvolved. Parents who are neglectful or uninvolved do not provide their children with support or attention.
They make no attempt to influence their children's behavior and are unconcerned about their children's lives (Maccoby &
Martin, 1983).
The term "parenting style" was coined as a heuristic tool to describe the parenting environment. Because the
influence of any specific parenting practice on child development would be easily lost among the complexity of other
parental attributes, analyses based on the construct were assumed to be more predictive of child attributes than analyses
based on specific parenting practices, to the extent that this milieu could be accurately captured by measures of parenting
style (Baldwin, 1948; Orlansky, 1949).
2. Method
Qualitative analysis was used to conduct this study. This study focused on Roadh Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (1964). The data for this study were gathered from the narratives of the characters in the story that exemplifies
parenting practice. Baumrind's parenting theory was used to analyze the data. The researcher used a coding method to
facilitate the process of defining and analyzing the data. In qualitative research, codes are often a single word or phrase
that symbolically assigns a summative, salient, essence-capturing, and/or evocative attribute to a segment of language-
based or visual data (Saldana, 2009).
3. Results and Discussion
The story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory revolved around Charlie Bucket, a poor young boy who wins a
contest that gives him entry to Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory, which has been closed to the public for several
years. While inside, Charlie and his grandfather, along with four other children; Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Violet
Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, and their parents, are given a tour of the numerous wonders that go into making Wonka's
famous Sweets. Along the way, four of the five children are disciplined for violating the factory's principles in a number of
horrific ways. Though it takes an unorthodox approach, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory teaches important lessons to
both children and parents about the importance of parenting practice.
The story's most obvious lesson to the reader is that being a spoiled child brings nothing good to you. While Charlie,
who is well-behaved, manages to complete the tour without incident, the other four children each reveal their true colors
at some point and are appropriately punished. These consequences are visible, making it easy for readers to visualize the
negative consequences of bad behavior. Oompa loompa’s chant aptly represented the consequence of parental practice
on the child’s behavior when Veruca Salt, the daughter of a billionaire, demanded a squirrel whose job is to sort the good
and bad nuts in Mr. Wonka's factory. Veruca insisted that his father get the squirrel at any cost. Mr. Wonka was adamant
that the squirrels would not be sold. Veruca, dissatisfied with that, leaped to capture the squirrels who were still busy
picking nuts. As a result, she was thrown in the trash by the squirrel, who determined that Veruca Salt is a bad nut.

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“And this is the price she has to pay

For going so very far astray.
But now, my dears, we think you might
Be wondering – is it really right
That every single bit of blame
And all the scolding and the shame
Should fall upon Veruca Salt?

Is she the only one at fault?

For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can’t spoil herself ,you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need?
Who turned her into such a brat?
Who are the culprits? Who did that?

Alas! You needn’t look so far

To find out who these sinners are.
They are ( and this is very sad )
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.
And that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the rubbish chute as well.’(Dahl, 1964)
Based on the Oompa Loompa's chant above, it can be deduced that, while Veruca Salt bears the brunt of her
actions, her parents are clearly to blame for spoiling her and allowing her to be a spoiled child. From the incident, her
parents are shown the negative consequences of permissive parenting. It is not to say that the story implies that children
will be thrown into a trash can if they misbehave. Instead, Mr. Wonka attempted to demonstrate the consequences of
indisciplined behavior to the obnoxious children and bad parents. Dahl's message is extremely clear: parents are ultimately
responsible for their children's behavior.
3.1. Permissive Parenting
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the are two parents fall under the category of "permissive parenting." Veruca
Salt’s and Augustus Gloob’s Parents. According to Baumrind, (1966) ; Maccoby & Martin, (1983), permissive parents are
those who are "responsive but undemanding and permissive." They are "warm and loving but permissive, with few clearly
defined boundaries." Veruca Salt's parents serve as a vivid example of a permissive parenting style. Mr. and Mrs. Salt,
instead of disciplining their daughter, encourage Veruca's brattish behavior by providing her with everything she could
possibly desire and purchasing enough Wonka bars to ensure her admission to the factory.
“as soon as my little girl told me that she simply had to have one of those Golden Tickets, I went out into the town and
started buying up all the Wonka bars I could lay my hands on. Thousands of them, I must have bought. Hundreds of
thousands!(Dahl, 1964)
Veruca's parents also allow her to demand about anything during the tour, for instance, she demanded to obtain
Mr. Wonka's squirrel, which is not for sale, Mr. Salt, rather than disciplining his daughter, convinced Mr. Wonka to sell the
squirrel by offering a large amount of money.

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Augustus Gloop's parents exhibited a permissive parenting style as well, by allowing him to consume excessive
amounts of candy and chocolate, and allowing him to eat whatever he pleased without question. He is permitted to be a
glutton, which is the trait for which he is punished in Willy Wonka's factory.
Throughout the story, Dahl provides numerous clues that the children are only bad as a result of their negligent,
careless, and indulgent parents. Therefore, Dahl’s concept of children could be interpreted as a blank paper or sponge
that will absorb their parents' traits and behaviors. Augustus is gluttonous as a result of his mother's failure to intervene,
just because it is simply more convenient for her not to. Furthermore, she is not a particularly slim woman herself, and her
son has likely adopted some of her eating habits. Dahl satirizes her ignorance:
“Eating is his hobby, you know. That's all he's interested in. But still, that's better than being a hooligan and shooting
off zip guns and things like that in his spare time, isn't it? And what I always say is, he wouldn't go on eating like he
does unless he needed nourishment, would he? It's all vitamins, anyway. (Dahl, 1964).”
3.2. Authoritarian Parenting
Violet Beauregarde's Parents demonstrate an authoritarian parenting style, which explains Violet's rudely
competitive nature. According to Maccoby & Martin, (1983) authoritarian parents have a "more demanding but less
responsive parenting style." The term "authoritarian" is derived from the Latin root "author," which translates as "master"
or "leader." Not surprisingly, authoritarian parenting, also called "propagative parenting," believes in the parent's absolute
authority as the family's master. Violet's parents are pressuring her to act ladylike, which perhaps not Violet’s nature.
Meanwhile, when the media interview Violet, she uses the opportunity to brag about setting a world record for chewing
gum and to disparage her best friend, whose record she broke, which clearly exhibits her competitive trait.
“My mother says it’s not ladylike and it looks ugly to see a girl’s jaws going up and down like mine do all the time, but I
don’t agree. And who’s she to criticize, anyway, because if you ask me, I’d say that her jaws are going up and down
almost as much as mine are just from yelling at me every minute of the day.”(Dahl, 1964)
Violet's mother, Mrs. Beauregarde, is a geography teacher who believes she is the best. She is vivacious and
persistently encourages Violet to excel at everything.
“Keep chewing, baby!’ said Mr Beauregarde. ‘Keep right on chewing! This is a great day for the Beauregardes! Our
little girl is the first person in the world to have a chewing-gum meal!”(Dahl, 1964)
Its sternness and strictness define the authoritarian parenting style. It requires unquestioning obedience and
punishes bad behavior with threats, shaming, and other forms of punishment. Additionally, it is a style that is associated
with a lack of parental warmth and responsiveness (Baumrind, 1991).
3.3. Authoritative parenting
Charlie Bucket's parents can be classified as "authoritative parents." These are parents who "regularly monitor their
children, provide ample support, establish firm boundaries, and facilitate significant freedom within those boundaries."
Charlie's parents are responsive to his needs while also establishing boundaries by requiring him to work to assist the
family. They satiate his desire to dream by allowing him to purchase a small amount of chocolate, but no more than is
healthy or justifiable. These boundaries result from both their family’s financial circumstances and the projection of their
parenting style.
Charlie was raised to be self-disciplined and kind as the result of Mr. and Mrs. Bucket's authoritative parenting style.
They exhibited nurturing, perceptiveness, and communicative abilities. Charlie was assigned daily chores and was
expected to adhere to his parents' rules. Additionally, Charlie's grandparents and parents instilled a set of values in him
that had to be respected.
Charlie's family has a profound effect on him. He refused to accept Willy Wonka's gift of complete ownership of the
factory in exchange for Charlie agreeing to abandon his family and live in Willy Wonka's factory. Charlie declines the offer
because he values his family more than anything else and would never abandon them for any amount of money in the
world.
3.4 Uninvolved/ neglectful parenting
Mike Teevee's parents are neglectful or uninvolved parents, a style defined by parents who are "unresponsive,
undemanding, permissive, and set fewer rules and boundaries”, largely because they do not care. There are few rules,
little structure, and little nurturing or guidance in neglectful homes. Parents who are neglectful fully expect their children to

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raise themselves. Neglected children typically have frequent behavioral problems as perfectly depicted by the character
Mike Teavee.
“...but young Mike Teavee, the lucky winner, seemed extremely annoyed by the whole business. "Can't you fool see
I'm watching television?" he said angrily. "I wish you wouldn't interrupt!(Dahl, 1964)
Mike Teavee is a hyperactive child who is fixated on television and video games. He is more concerned with his
gadgets than with the touring in the Wonka's factory. His mother is always impeccably dressed and more concerned with
her appearance than with what her son is doing. She allows Mike to do whatever he wants in order to avoid having to deal
with him. Mike is allowed to spend the entire day watching television, eating on the sofa, with little parental interaction. His
parents never make him do anything else with his time, most likely because they do not care enough.
4. Conclusion
There are many valuable lessons about the parent-child relationship from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As
depicted in the story, there are four different parenting styles and their effects on children's behavior: (1)Permissive
parenting, as demonstrated by Veruca Salt and Augustus Gloob, (2)Authoritarian parenting, as demonstrated by Violet
Beauregarde, (3)Uninvolved/ Neglectful parenting, as demonstrated by Mike Teavee, and (4)Authoritative parenting, as
demonstrated by Charlie Bucket, the main protagonist. Life lessons for both parents and children are included in this
wonderful story, and they are just as applicable today as they were in 1964 when the book was first written. From Dahl's
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it can be infered that the relationship between family environment or parental attitudes
and children's personal and social adjustment demonstrates that the child's personality evolves and grows within the
framework of the child's earliest complex social relationships, especially those involving the family.
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