John, the young protagonist of The Chocolate Touch, is a “very nice” kid—except when he’s eating candy. John represents how one aspect of our personality doesn’t dominate who we are. Although John is selfish and greedy about candy, he otherwise cares about others and wants to do his best. During orchestra practice, he doesn’t think about candy until his trumpet turns to chocolate because he’s completely focused on performing his solo right so that the band doesn’t have a problem. At Susan’s party, he feels terrible about ruining her dress because the party is so important to her, and she’s his friend. In both cases, chocolate causes trouble for other people, which leads to John’s learning about The Effects of Greed and Selfishness on Others, one of the book’s major themes.

The storekeeper’s name is never revealed because it doesn’t matter. He’s a catalyst for John’s personal growth and represents how people can choose to learn and change when life becomes difficult. The storekeeper is an all-knowing entity regarding his charges, such as John, as evident in how his store window displays the items John turned to