International Dress Up Day #007 -- Gala's Pictures

[ 19 August 2007 ]

I chose Veruca Salt (from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory) as my super-villain. I don’t know that she necessarily fits the criteria of super-villain, per say, but she is definitely a rotter.

“Veruca Salt represents one or two of the Seven Deadly Sins: greed and argubly vanity and arrogance. She is described in every incarnation as “spoiled rotten,” and each story tells of how her parents have given in to her every whim and desire since the day she was born. As such, she is constantly asking for things whether or not she needs them, and seems to think she can take whatever she wants, whenever she wants it and insist that what she wants is more important then anything else at that given time. For example, in her various incarnations, she has asked for (or rather demanded) an Oompa Loompa (despite the fact that they are technically human) and one of Wonka’s squirrels (geese in the 1971 film). She often begins most of her demands with “Daddy/Mummy, I want…” and when she isn’t immediately catered to, she follows it up with a vicious and emphatic “NOW!”“

Veruca Salt, the little brute,
Has just gone down the garbage chute,
(& as we very rightly thought
That in a case like this we ought
To see the thing completely through,
We’ve polished off her parents, too.)
Down goes Veruca! Down the drain!
& here, perhaps, we should explain
That she will meet, as she descends,
A rather different set of friends
To those that she has left behind–
These won’t be nearly so refined.
A fish head, for example, cut
This morning from a halibut.
‘Hello! Good morning! How d’you do?
How nice to meet you! How are you?’
& then a little further down
A mass of others gather round:
A bacon rind, some rancid lard,
A loaf of bread gone stale & hard,
A steak that nobody could chew,
An oyster from an oyster stew,
Some liverwurst so old and gray
One smelled it from a mile away,
A rotten nut, a reeky pear,
A thing the cat left on the stair,
& lots of other things as well,
Each with a rather horrid smell.
These are Veruca’s new found friends
That she will meet as she descends,
& 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
& all the scolding & the shame
Should fall upon Veruca Salt?
Is she the only one at fault?
For though she’s spoiled, & 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 (& this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM & DAD.
& that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the garbage chute as well.