The Chocolate Touch

“He told John to sit down and relax. Then he picked up a small rubber-headed hammer and gave John a light tap on the right knee, just below the joint. John’s foot gave a weak kick. John giggled.

‘It’s nothing to laugh about,’ Mr. Midas said.

‘No, John,’ the doctor reproved him. ‘A healthy little boy who didn’t eat too much candy would kick harder than that.’

‘I’m sorry,’ John said politely. ‘But I can kick harder if you want me to.’ He gave a sudden high kick, which knocked the hammer out of Dr. Cranium’s hand. It landed on its rubber head and bounced across the room.”

Here, Dr. Cranium gives John a standard checkup, including the test for reflexes. Dr. Cranium’s lecture supports the book’s theme The Dangers of Excess, and John’s response to it shows that he doesn’t care about what the doctor says. Since John can kick hard enough to knock the hammer away, he doesn’t think anything is wrong with eating so much candy.

“‘You’ve been eating so much sweet stuff,’ Mr. Midas added, ‘that there isn’t room for eggs and meat and milk and bread and spinach and apples and fish and bananas and all the other things you’re supposed to have to make you grow big and strong.’

‘I like bananas,’ John said. ‘Especially in thin slices covered with chocolate. They’re called Banana Surprises.’”

This conversation between John and his father comes after the visit to Dr. Cranium. John’s father tries to impress the importance of a balanced diet on John by listing important foods. Similar to his response to the reflex test, John focuses on something that lets him justify eating lots of candy. He eats bananas when they’re covered in chocolate, and since bananas are on his father’s list, he tries to show that he’s at least trying to eat a balanced diet.

“I always go the same way, he thought. This time, for a change, I’m going a new way.

He didn’t stop to consider that you cannot go east by going west unless you go all the way around the world.”

At the beginning of Chapter 2, John intends to visit Susan Buttercup. After he finds the strange coin with his initials, John goes in the opposite direction of Susan’s house, thinking he may as well try something different. The coin’s magic may have nudged him to go a different way, which ultimately leads him to the candy store and the storekeeper’s special chocolate. His decision to vary from his typical route shows how a seemingly unimportant decision can change our lives.

“John usually took a long time to put his things away and undress and bathe and get ready for bed, for he thought sleeping was a waste of time. But this evening he started yawning long before his usual bedtime.”

This passage, which comes after John gets home from the candy store and hides the candy box under his bed, shows how something exciting can make us deviate from our normal schedule. John is eager to eat his new box of chocolate, so he pretends to be tired so that he can go to his room. John may think sleeping is a waste of time because he can’t eat candy while he’s asleep.

“A few seconds after the bedroom door had closed behind his mother, John leaped to the floor, got down on his hands and knees, and felt under the bed for the candy box. He soon had it on the pillow and set to work unfastening it. First he took off the thin outer sheet of cellophane. Then he lifted off the lid. Then he removed a sheet of cardboard. Then he pulled off a square of heavy tin foil. Then he took out a layer of shredded paper.

As the wrappings piled up around him, John became rather anxious. At last, he came to a small central ball of cotton batting, and there, right in the middle, was a little golden ball. He picked at the ball with his fingernail and peeled away the gold paper, revealing a tiny piece of plain chocolate. It was the only piece of chocolate in the whole box.”

Here, John opens the box he got at the candy store. He’s eager to get to the chocolate within, but a few layers into the wrapping he begins to feel anxious. The box’s many layers of wrapping represent foreshadow the lesson that John should eat less candy.

“‘John ate up all the toothpaste,’ Mary told their mother.

‘Ooh, you sneak!’ John whispered.

‘Well, you did,’ Mary reminded him. ‘And that’s a waste. Isn’t it a waste, Mother, to eat up all the toothpaste in one day?’

Mrs. Midas was serving their orange juice. ‘Mary really!’ she said. ‘I’m sure John was only joking. He must have been pretending to eat the toothpaste.’

‘No, he wasn’t,’ Mary insisted. ‘I was watching, and I saw him squeeze it right into his mouth. He said it was chocolate.’

‘Oh, dear,’ protested Mrs. Midas. ‘Chocolate again! Now I know it was just a joke. He just wished it were chocolate, Mary. Come now, drink up your orange juice, both of you. Your bacon and eggs will be ready in a minute.’”

John’s sister, Mary, appears only in this scene, which shows how parents don’t always believe their children, even when a child witnessed something firsthand. John’s mother is so desensitized to John’s candy habit that she doesn’t believe Mary’s story, even though Mary is telling the truth. John’s dislike for toothpaste, primes his mother not to believe Mary because she can think of no reason that John would eat toothpaste.

“John silently picked up his fork and sliced the yolk of his fried egg. The yellow broke over the white and he shivered as he watched it, as he always did. ‘I can’t eat this,’ he told his mother.

‘Of course you can,’ Mrs. Midas said. ‘You drank your orange juice. Try to eat your bacon and egg.’”

This scene over breakfast is another example of how John’s mother doesn’t listen to her children. The sight of a runny egg yolk makes John feel sick, but his mother assumes that he can’t eat the egg because he doesn’t want to eat something other than chocolate. She doesn’t consider that John might not like runny egg yolks, regardless of his candy habit, and rather than find out why he can’t eat his eggs, she ignores his discomfort.

“‘Those aren’t real gloves," Spider said. "Whenever one person has candy, he has to share it with the others. That’s the club rule.’

‘What club?’ John asked.

‘Never mind what club,’ Spider said. ‘But you’d better let me have some of that chocolate.’ […]

“Spider ran only a little way ahead. When he saw that John wasn’t going to fight to get the glove back, he started to eat his prize. He stuffed the leather into his mouth and took a big bite. Spider stopped short in his tracks. He frowned and bit deep into the leather again. Disgusting! It tasted worse than just leather. It tasted like leather with which a boy had made mud pies and snowballs and patted old dogs.”

John’s encounter John with Spider Wilson is the only time that Spider appears in the story. Spider wants some chocolate and is willing to use whatever logic is necessary to get some. The “club” he refers to isn’t a real club, but Spider thinks the existence of formal rules about sharing might make John more likely to hand over candy. The last paragraph of the passage builds on how John’s ability works and reveals the consequences of being a bully. Spider steals John’s glove and bites into it because he thinks he’s entitled to whatever he wants. For John, the glove turns to wonderful-tasting chocolate—and any flavor that might dull the chocolate’s taste is gone. However, this doesn’t happen for Spider, who gets a nasty-tasting bite of leather as The negative consequence of his action, showing that bullying doesn’t get someone what they want.

“Miss Plimsole lifted up one of her hands and silence was restored instantly. ‘No complaining, please!’ she said sternly. ‘This test will show me how well you have been learning your arithmetic this year. It will be a short one. I am going to write just four problems on the board. I shall expect you to solve them all swiftly and accurately and to write your answers neatly. You will place your paper in front of you now. You will write your name at the top right-hand corner. And then you will place your pencil beside your paper, sit back in your chair, and wait until I give the signal to begin work.’ Miss Plimsole turned to the blackboard and began chalking up the test problems.”

Miss Plimsole is John’s teacher, and this passage shows her as the no-nonsense teacher often associated with the 1950s. Like John’s parents, Miss Plimsole lacks a description or much of a personality. She’s a stand-in for the stereotypical teacher of the time, so readers may picture her as any teacher she reminds them of.

“‘Just a minute,’ John pleaded.

‘Sh!’ Miss Plimsole cautioned him, holding a finger up to her mouth.

‘Sh!’ chorused the slow workers, who were becoming almost as excited as John. But John felt worst of all. He felt sure that he could finish the problem and write down the correct answer, if only he had something to write with.”

This scene takes place during the math test in John’s class. Before this, John takes a long trip to two water fountains to try to get a drink. As a result, he begins his test late, but he would have finished it on time had his pencil not turned to chocolate, which implies that John is a smart kid and a good student. This is the first place where John’s ability causes a problem. Until now, he enjoyed everything turning to chocolate, but when his ability interferes with school, he enjoys his ability less.

“The rest of the morning passed slowly for John. He was afraid that his mother was going to be cross about the missing gloves. She might not accept the excuse that he had eaten them. He regretted his messed-up arithmetic test. He was sad about Susan’s anger and disbelief. And he was getting terribly thirsty. Once during geography and once during art he was excused to get a drink of water. Both times, however, he swallowed nothing but sweet chocolate. His mouth was getting stickier and sweeter and drier by the minute.”

This passage shows John starting to understand how eating so much candy can be a bad thing. The day passes slowly, implying that his days don’t normally go as slowly and supports how bad John is now feeling about his ability. The chocolate is starting to affect his body. Normally, he could offset chocolate with water or milk, which would let him stay hydrated. When water turns to chocolate, however, John realizes how much chocolate he’s actually eating and how bad he feels as a result.

“Several boys and girls were already settled at tables by the time John took his place in the line. Enviously John noticed a boy at a nearby table suck at straws dipped in a milk bottle that was dull with frost. John could imagine the refreshing taste of cold, creamy milk. At another table a group of girls were eating fat red cherries. John could almost feel the firm fruit on his tongue and the pleasure of biting through the tart, juicy pulp. The cherries must taste good. They must be thirst quenching!”

This passage in the cafeteria reveals that John’s opinion of non-candy foods is starting to change. He’s never given much thought to milk and fruit before, but now he’d give almost anything to taste them. The effect of constant chocolate intake on his body makes him increasingly desperate for things he wouldn’t normally want to eat.

“John unhappily took a tray from the pile and slid it along the rails in front of the top of the counter. He put a paper napkin, a glass and a gleaming spoon, a knife and a fork on the tray. It seemed hardly worth the while, but he felt that he might as well try the food and drink.

‘Perhaps if I eat a different way, without letting anything touch my lips,’ he muttered, ‘my lunch won’t all change to chocolate.’ He was not very hopeful.”

This scene in the lunch line shows that John’s desperation is increasing. He now thinks of his new ability as a problem rather than something to enjoy. His logic about eating differently reveals how he longs for a solution to his predicament.

“His fingers trembling slightly with eagerness, he cut a slice of lettuce. His fork went through the leaves with a promising crunch. He stuck the prongs of the fork into a mouth-sized piece of lettuce and carefully inserted it into his mouth. The lettuce didn’t touch his wide-stretched lips. John’s teeth came together in crisp layers of sweet chocolate. He took a small piece of potato chip, tilted back his head until he was looking straight up at the ceiling, and dropped the morsel straight down into his throat. He felt it go down, a sharp fragment of sweet chocolate. He tried the milk, the ice water, the fruit. Every solid and liquid that he sampled was transformed as soon as it entered his mouth.”

This passage shows John’s continuing lunchtime struggles. He tries different tactics to keep his food from turning to chocolate, revealing how committed he is to finding a solution to keep his ability from activating—even if he must look funny while eating.

“English class passed without incident. Miss Plimsole distributed word lists for her pupils to take home. ‘The more words you know,’ she explained, as always, ‘the more exactly you can think.’

There were some difficult new words, John noticed: avarice, indigestion, acidity, unhealthiness, moderation, digestibility. As Miss Plimsole explained the meaning of each one, it seemed to John as though they all had a special bearing on his present uncomfortable condition.”

This scene during English class reminds John that he can’t escape the truth of his situation. Words like “unhealthiness,” “indigestion,” and “digestibility” refer to his eating habits and their impact on his body. “Avarice” means “greed,” which speaks to John’s greed and selfishness about chocolate. “Acidity” is a teasing word because John’s mouth tastes so sweet, the opposite of acid, and “moderation” foreshadows how John learns that chocolate is best as a treat, not as the main thing in his diet.

“John nervously opened his trumpet case and took his shining golden trumpet from its bed of scarlet velvet. The beautiful new instrument gave him confidence. He worked the valves nimbly with his fingers and looked up at Mrs. Quaver again.

‘Now, John,’ she said, ‘tell me when your little solo begins.’

‘Right after the end of the second verse,’ John promptly replied. He had practiced his part every evening in the basement at home for the last two weeks. He knew every note perfectly. ‘After the line, “That’s the way for Billy and me.”’

‘Good,’ Mrs. Quaver said. ‘And don’t forget what I told you, John. This is a happy song. I want you to play tah-tuh, tah-tuh, tah-tuh-tuh, ta-a-ah, simply repeating the rhythm of the voice. And I want you to be light and lively. This is supposed to be the song of a boy who loves romping in the country.’

Tah-tuh, tah-tuh, tah-tuh-tuh, ta-a-ah, John thought. That shouldn’t be too difficult, even with the whole orchestra listening to him. He had played it over and over again at home. But he would have to try extra hard here. This was to be his first solo. Everyone else was depending on him to play it properly.”

In this scene, John is so focused on playing his solo right that he’s completely forgotten about chocolate and his ability. This shows that, even before his ability, some things mattered more than candy, like orchestra practice. Forgetting about his ability shows how strong emotions, such as excitement or anxiety, can overshadow troubles. John doesn’t remember his ability until he tries to play the trumpet—and the instrument turns to chocolate.

“Through the window Mrs. Midas saw John coming up the pathway. ‘Hello, John dear,’ she called from the living room. ‘you’re home early today. How nice! As a reward, there’ll be a piece of chocolate after supper.’

‘I hate it!’ John shouted. He was crying too hard to say anything else for a moment.

When she heard the sound of his voice, Mrs. Midas rushed into the hall. ‘Why, what’s the matter, dear?’ she asked, putting her arm around him.”

This conversation between John and his mother after orchestra practice is another example of how his mother doesn’t really pay attention to him. She sees John running toward the house but doesn’t stop to wonder why he’s home early. Whether orchestra is a class or an after-school activity, John’s mother would know where he was and when to expect him home—but she appears unconcerned that he either ditched school or rehearsal. When John yells about hating chocolate, she realizes that something’s wrong, but she doesn’t ask about it, implying that she doesn’t believe he could really have negative feelings about candy.

“Susan bounded ahead like a jackrabbit and had her face deep in the bucket by the time John reached her side and crouched down for his apple. He got his eye on a big red one with its stalk jutting up conveniently for him to grab. He lowered his face, opened his mouth, and lunged. Somehow his nose reached the apple before his teeth did and pushed it below the surface of the water. John’s mouth followed the apple down.

Then a terrible thing happened. The clear water in the bucket turned into dark-brown, sweet, liquid chocolate. Susan and John immediately pulled their heads up. But it was too late. Their faces were drenched with chocolate syrup.

‘Oh!’ Susan exclaimed, wiping chocolate out of her eyes. Chocolate syrup dripped down all over her delicate pale-pink dress. ‘Oh!’ she moaned.

John was in the same state. There was chocolate all over his face; there was chocolate on his white shirtfront and on his gray flannel shorts. And there was chocolate in his mouth. ‘Glug,’ John said. ‘Glug!’

Susan was too surprised and angry to speak. For the second time that day she turned her back on John and ran away from him.

Mrs. Buttercup offered to clean John up. But he couldn’t bear to stay at the party another minute. He started off at once for home.”

This scene takes place at Susan’s birthday party while the kids are bobbing for apples. In the fun of the party, John forgets about his chocolate ability, just as the anxiety over his trumpet solo made him forget earlier. His frustration over his ability makes him block it from his mind—but nevertheless, he turns the water to chocolate, which splashes onto Susan’s dress. If John had remembered, he could have sat out the game and avoided this undesirable result.

“‘Hmm,’ said Mr. Midas, frowning anxiously at John. ‘I think we’d better pay a visit to Dr. Cranium before we go home.’

‘That’s where the store was, though,’ John protested, beginning to cry again. He had shed more tears in that one day, it seemed, and certainly eaten more chocolate, than in all the other days of his life put together. ‘I know it was.’”

Here, John and his dad search for the candy store, but it’s gone, replaced by an empty lot. John’s father is concerned that John is making up stories or hallucinating, which prompts the visit to Dr. Cranium. John knows he’s telling his father the truth—and doesn’t understand why the store isn’t there. He may be wondering if he made up the store and his chocolate ability is part of a nightmare.

“Dr. Cranium dropped the spoon in alarm. When it struck the white-tiled floor, the chocolate handle snapped into several pieces. ‘Mercy!’ said Dr. Cranium. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it! The boy’s whole system seems to be so chocolatified that it chocolatifies everything it touches.’

After he had recovered somewhat, the doctor went on. ‘I believe that this must be an unprecedented case of . . . er . . . chocolatitis. I shall call it Cranium’s Disease. I shall want to make an exhaustive study of the child.’”

Here, Dr. Cranium sees the effects of John’s ability. Rather than wanting to help find a cure so that John can have his life back, Dr. Cranium focuses on how the discovery of a new disease could elevate his career. He names the disease after himself, which reveals his oversized ego, and doesn’t give any consideration to how his experiments might affect John.

“Mrs. Midas sat down and dabbed her eyes with a lace handkerchief. She was crying.

Mr. Midas blew his nose, said he had to attend to something, and abruptly left the room.

John had been so busy feeling sorry for himself that he had not realized how his mother and father would feel about his chocolate disease.”

This passage comes after John’s father tells his mother about Dr. Cranium’s diagnosis. Despite John’s ability making no medical sense, his parents readily accept the diagnosis because it came from the doctor. Dr. Cranium said nothing about the disease being uncurable or deadly, but John’s parents act as if John’s condition is terminal. Seeing his parents so sad makes John realize how little he considers others’ feelings, which leads to his becoming less selfish.

“He kissed her wet cheek. His eyes were shut as his lips softly touched her, so he didn’t see the change right away. Then his lips began to feel sticky. He opened his eyes. His mother had turned into a lifeless statue of chocolate!”

Here, John kisses his mother’s cheek to comfort her but turns her to chocolate. This moment is the catalyst for John’s redemption. He loves his mother more than he loves chocolate, and he doesn’t want to lose her. In addition, he realizes that he must act to reverse his chocolate ability. Until now, he hoped it would just go away, but with his mother’s life possibly in danger, he can no longer sit passively by while events unfold.

“John’s ears reddened. It was becoming unmistakably evident to him that he had only himself to blame for all this unhappiness. He looked straight into the storekeeper’s eyes. ‘I’ll do anything. I’ll work for you all my life for nothing, if you’ll turn my mother back. You can turn me to chocolate, instead, if you want.’”

At the candy store, John initially tries to blame the storekeeper for his predicament, but the storekeeper helps John see that he—and no one else—is responsible for his choices. These lines show how much John loves his mother. He’s willing to trade himself so that she can return to normal, even though turning himself to chocolate would make his situation worse.