Charles by Shirley Jackson
"Charles" is a short story by Shirley Jackson that explores the experiences of a young boy named Laurie as he navigates his first month in kindergarten. Throughout the narrative, Laurie shares tales about a fellow student named Charles, who consistently engages in disruptive behavior, earning punishment from teachers and capturing the attention of his classmates. As Charles becomes a focal point in Laurie’s home life, he is often referenced when discussing bad behavior, illustrating how children can create narratives that reflect their experiences and emotions.
The story takes a turn when Charles seemingly reforms into a model student, only to revert to his troublesome antics shortly after. The climax occurs during a Parent Teacher Association meeting, where Laurie’s mother expresses her curiosity about Charles, only to discover that no such student exists in the class. This revelation highlights themes of identity, childhood imagination, and the complexities of parental perception. "Charles" invites readers to reflect on the innocence and creativity of childhood, as well as the ways in which children may project their feelings onto others.
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Charles by Shirley Jackson
First published: 1948
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The mid-twentieth century
Locale: Bennington, Vermont
Principal Characters:
Laurie Hyman , a kindergarten studentThe narrator , her motherHer father
The Story
The narrator tells the story of Laurie's first month at kindergarten. Laurie comes home each day to report on the doings of a fellow student, Charles, who behaves in an extraordinary manner. For the first two weeks, Charles is spanked or otherwise punished almost daily for being "fresh," for hitting or kicking the teachers, for injuring fellow students, and for a host of proscribed activities. Charles proves so interesting to the kindergarten class that whenever he is punished, all the students watch him; whenever he stays after school, all the students stay with him.
As a result of this behavior, Charles becomes an institution at the Hyman house. Whenever anyone does anything bad, inconsiderate, or clumsy, he or she is compared to Charles. During the third week, however, Charles undergoes a conversion. For several days, he becomes a model student, the teacher's helper. Reports of this transformation astonish the Hyman household. Then, Charles seems to return to normal, first persuading a girl to say a terrible word twice, for which her mouth is washed out with soap. The next day, Charles himself says the word several times and receives several washings.
When the day of the monthly Parent Teacher Association meeting arrives, Laurie's mother is anxious to go and to meet the mother of the remarkable Charles. At the meeting, she learns from Laurie's teacher not only that Laurie has had some difficulty adjusting to kindergarten, but also that there is no student named Charles in her class.
Bibliography
Carpenter, Lynette. "Domestic Comedy, Black Comedy, and Real Life: Shirley Jackson, a Woman Writer." In Faith of a (Woman) Writer, edited by Alice Kessler-Harris and William McBrien. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Friedman, Lenemaja. Shirley Jackson. Boston: Twayne, 1975.
Hall, Joan Wylie. Shirley Jackson: A Study of Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1993.
Hattenhauer, Darryl. Shirley Jackson's American Gothic. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003.
Jefferson, Margo. "Shirley Jackson, Novelist or Witch?" Vogue 178, no. 7 (July, 1988): 70.
Kittredge, Mary. "The Other Side of Magic: A Few Remarks About Shirley Jackson." In Discovering Modern Horror Fiction, edited by Darrell Schweitzer. Mercer Island, Wash.: Starmont House, 1985.
Oppenheimer, Judy. Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988.