The Criticism Of Shirley Jackson's 'Charles'

The girl said it twice, resulting in the teacher rinsing her mouth out with soap. Then Charles “abandoned the little girl and said the evil word himself three or four times, getting his mouth washed out with soap each time” (349). This shows that Charles is malicious because he will do anything to get attention. Along with disobeying the teacher, Charles kicked the assistant teacher that came in to teach the class countless amounts of exercises. Although Laurie misbehaved throughout the story, he finally came to senses and started to behave like a proper kindergartner.

Charles did not come from a rich family. He had 6 siblings, and his family barely had enough money to afford a house with them. They never went without clothes, had to skip a meal, or live on the streets, but they certainly didn’t have much. Even so, his family loved him, and wasn’t abusive. Charles was a good child.

In addition, the way Laurie greets his parents shows that he has no respect for authorities which is similar to Charles. Laurie references

Based on the story, “Charles”, Shirley Jackson makes it perceptible that the character, Charles, is Laurie. The author effectively makes it clear to any reader that Charles is Laurie. The obvious statements in this story make the critics correct because Laurie is being just as rude to his father as he is to the other kids. The mother always changed the subject when Laurie was rude to his father; many opinions are stated that his father was rude to him at home and he carried it from home to school. Many of the stories that Laurie told were hinting to the parents that he was Charles. The parents thought that Charles was giving Laurie a bad influence, but the parents were gullible and they didn`t find out that Charles was Laurie until the end

Shirley Jackson’s purpose for writing “Charles” is to entertain. Jackson’s story is humorous, fiction and in chronological order, including some foreshadowing and flashback. Additionally, this story includes a plot, and is told from first person point of view. Flashback is presented to us when Charles recalls his day at school. Foreshadowing is demonstrated gradually when Laurie begins to act up, when he is usually a good kid.

Chapter 1 Questions: 1. I think Charles’s brilliant nature of desiring biology and the environment he spent around really help with his Beagle trip. Also, his amazing mentor Reverend John Steven Henslow had evaporated Charles’s interest of colleting species and really leaded Charles on the voyage on the Beagle. 2. Darwin witnessed the earthquake as the geological excursions.

In all stories there is someone who changes after something happens and it turns them into someone they aren't. An example is a person turn into someone you never expected them to be because they are hiding themselves. Its also important to think before everything you do because the aftermath can be unreal. The characters in the“ Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson and the short story,” Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl could have learned their lessons. In the story, “ Possibility of Evil” Miss.Strangeworth takes her hate out to an family by writing letters to them. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” Mary makes a bad decision after finding out her husband is leaving her. These stories tell the reader that people around you have a side they don't show, but sooner or later it will come out of them.

Laurie is creating a huge problem by lying. Laurie causes a lot of problems with his parents and peers by lying. One example of this is every afternoon, he tells his parents about a classmate named Charles who has been getting in trouble at school. The problem escalates when Laurie’s mother at a PTA meeting, she learns that there is no Charles. Consequently the problem Laurie has created has become a much bigger problem. Jackson writes, , “Charles wanted to color with

Laurie and Charles are the same person! Shirley Jackson composed a short story titled “Charles”. Laurie is a new kindergarten student and newly older brother. This story took place in the 1950s and the various locations are Laurie’s home and school. Laurie did not adjust well to kindergarten. He suspired for attention from his parents. With the arrival of his new sibling, Laurie created difficulties with his classmates and teacher. Not receiving enough attention at home, Laurie desired attention at school.

Threats to the conformity of a society often leads to the targeting of an individual as a scapegoat figure as demonstrated in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury. Societies often function on foundations such as authority or tradition. When the principles of a community are endangered, it is often deemed necessary to eliminate the threat for the welfare of the community. The urge to preserve ways of life or fulfil a purpose often transcends coherence. The devotion of individuals to the well-being of a group can become volatile. Though changes in a society may be beneficial, the disruption to the equilibrium can cause further feelings of vulnerability.

Shirley Jackson was an author who wasn’t well-known at first, but her literary works brought her recognition, including the short story, “The Lottery”, a mandatory reading in many high schools. She wrote many other stories such as “Charles” and “The Possibility of Evil”, these works influenced by her life. The dark moods of her stories sourced first from her abuse as a child, but these are what made her stories unique. In her story “The Possibility of Evil”, Shirley Jackson creates this heavy mood of hatred and despair by combining her unique uses of ellipses, adjective-focused word choice, and vivid descriptions of setting. The story follows an elderly lady named Miss Strangeworth, who believes it is her duty to protect her townspeople from evil by alerting them to situations with her letters, but in reality, is only creating more evil and tension with her paranoia.

Shirley Jackson, 1916-1965, was an accomplished author who influenced many people with her award winning stories such as The Lottery and The Haunting of Hill House.

Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, California. She was the daughter of Leslie Hardie (President of Stecher-Traung Lithograph,Inc.) and Geraldine Bugbee Jackson.

Parents are usually good at knowing their children. They usually know their children’s favorite color. They know whether their kid is a trouble maker. This is the opposite of Laurie’s parents, they don’t even know their child’s favorite color “because she tried to make him color with red crayons,’ Laurie said. ‘Charles wanted to color with green crayons so he hit the teacher and she spanked him and said nobody play with Charles but everybody did.” (Jackson). It shows that he doesn’t want to color with red because he likes green. If they knew that Laurie liked green, they would have suspected that Charles is Laurie. Parents usually know when they children are trouble makers. Laurie’s parents think he is a small good boy while he is a trouble maker “Laurie usually adjusts very quickly,’ I said. ‘I suppose this time it’s Charles’ influence.’ ‘Charles?’ ‘Yes,’ I said, laughing, ‘you must have your hands full in that kindergarten, with Charles.’ ‘Charles?’ she said. ‘We don’t have any Charles in the kindergarten.’ (Jackson). This show how Laurie’s parents have poor parental