Charles Shirley Jackson

“Charles” Laurie was a troubled boy who had a tendency to lie in the story “Charles,” an entertaining short story written by Shirley Jackson. Laurie’s mischievous actions were caused by a longing for attention from his parents. Laurie had recently become a kindergarten student in addition to an older brother to an infant sibling. The story is set during the 1950’s in Laurie’s home and kindergarten classroom. Laurie was clearly having difficulty adjusting to the kindergarten atmosphere. Consequently, Laurie’s behavior was affected by this uncertainty. Laurie’s troubles at school demanded attention from his fellow students. When Charles was being obnoxiously loud and was forced to stay after school, “all the children stayed to watch him” (Jackson 347) because they were fascinated by him. From the initial week of school, Charles was a nuisance to the kindergarten teacher and the other students. On just the first day of school, Charles was spanked by the teacher for being fresh. This behavior continued three days later when he hit a female student on the head with a seesaw; this resulted in Charles being held inside during recess the following day. Charles was extremely ignorant during his kindergarten experience. Furthermore, his unacceptable behavior remained

His stubbornness resulted in numerous punishments and hardships. Laurie came home every day with a detailed description of what Charles had done that day. Charles was becoming a household name for Laurie’s family. When Laurie “filled his wagon with mud and pulled it through the kitchen” (348) he was being a Charles. The stories of Charles’s deeds were quite common in the household. Charles had to stand in the corner during story time one day for pounding his feet on the ground. Just the next day, Charles’s chalkboard privileges were revoked after he threw chalk. It seemed as if Charles would never discontinue his mischievous