Character Analysis of Mr. Carter in John Collier's Thus I Refute Beelzy

Character Analysis of Mr. Carter in John Collier's Thus I Refute Beelzy

In many stories, the protagonist is often described as the hero or the "good guy" of the work. In John Collier's short story, "Thus I Refute Mr. Beelzy", this is not exactly the case. Mr. Carter, the "I" in the title, is a cruel, selfish father, who is locked in a struggle with the invisible "Mr. Beelzy" for the love and soul of his son, Small Simon.

Mr. Carter enjoys possessing power and being in control. He is used to everyone doing what he wants, without question. As a dentist, he is able to legally exercise this power on a helpless patient. They are at his mercy when they lie sedated on his chair. Mr. Carter comes home early because two patients cancelled their appointments, though the reason for this is not given. After studying the story, it became safe to assume that they cancelled because of the pain that was about to be caused on them by Mr. Carter. As a father, he is able to exercise this power on his little son. Small Simon is under his father's mercy when he cringes underneath the weight of his father's "big, white, dentist's hand." Even Mr. Carter's wife is afraid of his anger. She is unwilling to say anything bad about him, even though she "‘knows what Big Simon's ideas are.'" Even though Big Simon is not in the room, his power precedes him. Also, Mrs. Carter is not, as the reader would assume, the one to object to the idea of the beating of Small Simon. Betty, not Mrs. Carter, calls out, "‘Don't!'" before Big Simon says that he will beat Small Simon. Betty, not Mrs. Carter, reacts and rushes up the stairs at the sound of something seeming to "tear the air apart." In addition to this, Mr. Carter shows supremacy over Small Simon by the very fact that he names himself "Big" Simon, and his young son, "Small" Simon. He even goes so far as to say, "‘I have been longer in the world than you have, so naturally I am older and wiser." In this way, Mr. Carter is establishing supremacy over Small Simon, in his mind.