The Alligators John Updike

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In the story “The Alligators”, Charlie has a dream and realizes his solution. In John Updike's short story, Charlie wants to fit in but is never good enough. His dream reveals something that he thinks will make him popular. Charlie is blind to what is around him because he is distracted by popularity and “love.” Charlie goes through a process of trying to find himself in the social world. Throughout the story Charlie does whatever the “popular” kids do, in hope to be popular too. He was not taking the time to find his place in the world first. In the story, John Updike uses alligators to show what people will do to try to fit in with their peers.
The use of alligators shows Charlie’s selfishness in “love.” Charlie is being spontaneous, at least he thinks he is, and falling in “love” for attention. Charlie always wants to be popular. He does anything he can to try to be a “cool” kid. If that includes bullying a girl, he will do it. He does not realize the damage he is going to do later on by bullying this girl. In his dream, the girl he is bullying is in trouble with alligators, and he saves her. In Charlie's dream, John Updike chooses …show more content…

He does not realize that throughout the time he is figuring out his emotions with her, people started to like her. His love for her shadowed that. “Hardly anybody gathered to hear the dream he had pictured himself telling everybody,” says the narrator (69). He is disappointed that not a lot of people come to listen to his dream. When some people do listen, it is normal for a kid to be in “love” the most popular girl, to they disregard it. Nobody cares about Charlie's discovery. Charlie, not knowing that she is now popular, thinks he will get the attention by “loving” her. Charlie’s “love" makes him unaware of what is happening outside of his mind. The overall message of John Updike's short story is to be

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