Cultural References and Literary Allusions
- When Lemony Snicket refers having to fight with a TV repairman, it might be a reference to The Cable Guy which contains a scene in which the characters played by Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick go to a restaurant named "Medieval Times" and are chosen to fight with swords. (Coincidentally, Jim Carrey plays Count Olaf in the film)
- The names Charles and Phil are also names of two members of the British Royal Family. This may be a reference to the fact that the Industrial Revolution began in England, or it could be just a coincidence.
- Dr. Georgina Orwell is named after author George Orwell. Her building is designed to resemble a great eye, which is a likely allusion to the famous figure from Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four, Big Brother, who is proverbially "watching" at all times; some editions of 1984 feature one or more eyeballs on the cover. Also, Orwell hypnotizes Klaus, a reference to the fact that the Thought Police tried to make you think like them.
- The full-page illustration on page 125 of the U.S. hardcover, first edition, shows a sign shaped like a pair of eyes looking through eyeglasses, suspended above the door to Dr. Orwell's office. This sign is reminiscent of the billboard of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby.
- There are many similarities between Charles and a character in The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen named Charles who seems to be the link between Capitalism and Socialism. The plot for The Last Town on Earth takes place in a lumber mill completely opposite of Lucky Smells.
- "Sir" is reminiscent of "Mr. Sir" from the book Holes by Louis Sachar.
- The "Ahab Memorial Hospital" where Phil is taken to recover from his leg injury may be a reference to Captain Ahab from Moby Dick, who is known to have lost a leg.
- The UK cover of the book bears a strong resemblance to the US one, except Violet is replaced by Foreman Flacutono.
Read more about this topic: The Miserable Mill
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