Charles Shirley Jackson Analysis

Laurie had been keeping a secret. His tale was expressed in the short passage “Charles,” written by Shirley Jackson. Laurie was a kindergarten student with an infant sister. However, this boy growing up in the 1950s had difficulty adjusting to his new life at school. This may have been due to the influence of his classmate, Charles, who acted out in class, or simply since it was a brand-new environment for Laurie. Nevertheless, it was apparent that trouble was brewing in Laurie’s classroom. His parents would soon find out the truth about this kindergarten conundrum. During the lunch following Laurie’s opening day of kindergarten, he informed his parents about a boy named Charles who was supposedly a terribly rude student. Laurie seemed to be disrespectful toward his family members at this time when he “spoke insolently to his father, spilled his baby sister’s milk” (Jackson 345), speaking light-heartedly about the punishment his classmate had received. For several consecutive days, Laurie returned home, each day with a collection of updates on Charles. Within a week of school, Charles had already hit the teacher, caused a girl to bleed, pounded his feet on the floor, and thrown chalk. Laurie’s parents dreamt of what Charles’s mother’s parenting style …show more content…
Charles developed a need for attention once again when he cursed in the classroom on several occasions, “getting his mouth washed out with soap each time” (349). Charles had convinced a young girl in the kindergarten to say the word prior to his own proclamation, though it must not have been sufficient enough in his opinion to hear someone else say it. From the stories Laurie shared, it appeared as if Charles’s antics were intensifying. Luckily for Laurie’s mother, the PTA meeting was in sight; she could not wait to encounter the authority figure in Charles’s