steepholm: (Default)
[personal profile] steepholm
Many people have noted the debt owed by The Hunger Games to Battle Royale, but has anyone given due credit to the part played by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Think about it. Wonka, aka President Snow, "reaps" his victims by lottery, including young Charlie, a poor child whose family have barely enough to eat (remind you of anyone?). Charlie and the other Tributes are then taken to an enclosed arena, where they compete for the ultimate prize, falling one by one until only the winner is left. Some are victims of greed, the Chocolate River that consumes poor Augustus Gloop finding a sanguinary aftersplash in the Bloodbath. Others hold out longer before failing in spectacular and gruesome ways: Violet Beauregarde, like Foxface, runs foul of berries; Veruca Salt, like Cato, is eaten alive by genetically-engineered beasts. Peeta is clearly modelled on Grandpa Joe. But in the end it is young Charlie who is left to step into the elevator that will bring him safely out of the arena.

The Dahl Estate should sue, really it should.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 04:56 pm (UTC)
thistleingrey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] thistleingrey
huh.
Just as well there aren't Vermicious Knids (or are there?).

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-17 06:55 pm (UTC)
thistleingrey: (Default)
From: [personal profile] thistleingrey
I've read it, but I was going very quickly--didn't enjoy it or #3--and don't remember it clearly enough to attempt comparison.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 09:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gillpolack.livejournal.com
Now I can't get this out of my head.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 10:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] steepholm.livejournal.com
It's pain au chocolat et circenses.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 10:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gillpolack.livejournal.com
That's making bad, worse!

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 01:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nightspore.livejournal.com
Wow. Totally!

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 10:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] steepholm.livejournal.com
It's time the world knew the truth.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-14 11:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] diceytillerman.livejournal.com
Oh I LOVE this.

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-15 07:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] steepholm.livejournal.com
I was thinking partly about the game we played in your apartment!

(no subject)

Date: 2013-09-16 02:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] diceytillerman.livejournal.com
That game is amazing. (I feel no shame in lauding it because I didn't make it up. The brains were, natch, Deborah and Amy.) It should be promoted and widely circulated. Maybe we should post it to child_lit.

Profile

steepholm: (Default)
steepholm

January 2026

S M T W T F S
    12 3
4567 8910
11 121314151617
1819 2021222324
25262728293031

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags