Dahl would frequently caricature government officials or people in power, and this is no exception. They also invite the Buckets to a dinner at the White House at the end of the story. They speak to Wonka when Wonka and the Buckets are in space.

Present are the President, the Vice President, and the Cabinet. One group of characters in the book is the United States government. 'Vermicious' is an actual word, meaning 'worm-like.' 'Knid' is a derivative of Cnidaria, which is a phylum containing many stinging aquatic invertebrates.Įlevator takes the story out of the chocolate factory and into the world at large. They come from Vermes, a fictional planet located 184,270,000,000 miles from Earth. The Knids, pronounced 'K’nid,' are a carnivorous species of alien, who can’t resist spelling the word SCRAM before attacking their victims.

Dahl was so thoroughly displeased with the 1971 film version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that he refused to allow any adaptations of Elevator to be made.Įlevator also introduces the Vermicious Knids, which were previously mentioned in James and the Giant Peach. There have been no filmed adaptations of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. The book was dedicated Roald Dahl’s daughters: Tessa, Ophelia, and Lucy.Ĭharlie and the Great Glass Elevator was almost called Charlie and The Great Glass “Air Machine.” Dahl thought that the word “elevator” was too American but also thought that “lift” was too boring. Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina. This story also gives Charlie’s family a much larger part to play. Elevator continues the story of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. It was published in 1972, eight years after the original. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one of the most famous and beloved works of children’s literature.

Charlie and the big glass elevator