Charles by Shirley Jackson

The day my son Laurie started kindergarten he renounced corduroy overalls with bibs and began wearing blue jeans with a belt (a belt he had always despised and refused to wear at all) and he said, 'Hi, Pop,' to my husband and 'See you later, alligator' to me. He was an only child, by the way.

'What was kindergarten like?' I asked him that afternoon. 'Did you learn anything?'

'I didn't learn nothing,' Laurie said. 'But Charles was bad.'

'Who is Charles?' I asked. 'He was a bad boy,' Laurie said. 'He hit the teacher.'

'You didn't hit the teacher, did you?' I asked him.

'No,' Laurie said, 'I'm a good boy.'

This was the beginning of a long series of conversations about Charles, a kindergarten child with whom Laurie shared his class. Charles was a bad boy. Charles hit the teacher. Charles threw chalk. Charles hit a little girl. Charles was disruptive.

Every day Laurie came home with a new report about Charles. Charles made a little girl cry. Charles drew a picture of an elephant and then called it a lion. Charles spit on the floor. Charles said a bad word. Charles punched a boy in the stomach. Charles knocked a girl's teeth out. Laurie always concluded his stories with: 'And the teacher made Charles stay after school.'

My husband and I, who were young parents, found these stories endlessly amusing. We imagined Charles as a small, defiant, unkempt boy, probably with red hair, always in trouble. We were fascinated by Charles.

One day, Laurie came home and said, 'Charles was good today.'

'Good?' I said. 'What happened?'

'He helped the teacher,' Laurie said. 'He passed out the crackers.'

We were astonished. 'Charles was good?'

'Yes,' Laurie said. 'And the teacher said, "So that's the way Charles acts?"'

At the next parent-teacher meeting, I brought up Charles. 'I'd like to meet Charles's mother,' I said. 'He's been a bad influence on Laurie.'

The teacher smiled. 'Oh,' she said. 'We don't have any Charles in the kindergarten.'

Charles: Character Analysis & Irony

Part 1: Who is Charles?

As you read "Charles," gather evidence from the story to answer the following questions.

1. Describe Charles's behavior in kindergarten based on Laurie's reports. List at least three specific actions.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. How do Laurie's parents react to the stories about Charles? What does this tell you about them?
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. What is Laurie's attitude towards Charles? Does he seem scared, amused, or something else? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Based on Laurie's descriptions, what kind of person do you imagine Charles to be? Draw a quick sketch if it helps you visualize him.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Part 2: The Big Reveal

Think about the ending of the story and answer the questions below.

1. What surprising information does the teacher share with Laurie's mother at the parent-teacher meeting?
   
   
   
   
2. This ending is an example of situational irony. In your own words, explain what situational irony means.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Why is the ending of "Charles" an example of situational irony? Explain how it subverts the reader's expectations.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Charles: Character Analysis & Irony Answer Key

Part 1: Who is Charles?

1. Describe Charles's behavior in kindergarten based on Laurie's reports. List at least three specific actions.

   • Charles was bad (e.g., hit the teacher, threw chalk, hit a little girl, was disruptive, made a little girl cry, drew an elephant and called it a lion, spit on the floor, said a bad word, punched a boy, knocked out a girl's teeth). Students should list at least three of these examples.

2. How do Laurie's parents react to the stories about Charles? What does this tell you about them?

   • Laurie's parents find the stories "endlessly amusing" and are "fascinated" by Charles. This suggests they are somewhat entertained by mischief, perhaps naive as "young parents," and are detached observers of Charles's antics, not realizing the personal connection.

3. What is Laurie's attitude towards Charles? Does he seem scared, amused, or something else? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

   • Laurie seems to take a certain pleasure in reporting Charles's bad behavior. He concludes stories with "And the teacher made Charles stay after school," suggesting a sense of justice or perhaps even superiority. He doesn't seem scared but rather excited by the drama Charles creates.

4. Based on Laurie's descriptions, what kind of person do you imagine Charles to be? Draw a quick sketch if it helps you visualize him.

   • (Student response will vary for the sketch). Based on the descriptions, one might imagine Charles as a defiant, messy, wild, or aggressive child. The parents specifically imagine him as "a small, defiant, unkempt boy, probably with red hair, always in trouble."

Part 2: The Big Reveal

1. What surprising information does the teacher share with Laurie's mother at the parent-teacher meeting?

   • The teacher reveals, "We don't have any Charles in the kindergarten."

2. This ending is an example of situational irony. In your own words, explain what situational irony means.

   • Situational irony is when there is a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens. The outcome is the opposite of what the reader (or characters) anticipates.

3. Why is the ending of "Charles" an example of situational irony? Explain how it subverts the reader's expectations.

   • Throughout the story, both the parents and the reader are led to believe that Charles is a real, distinct, mischievous child in Laurie's class. The entire narrative builds up this character. The ironic twist is the revelation that Charles doesn't exist as a separate person; the reader's expectation of a distinct character is completely overturned. It implies that Laurie himself is Charles, creating a shocking and unexpected outcome.

Cool Down: Charles's Big Reveal

1. What was the most surprising part of the story "Charles" for you?
   
   
   
   
2. In one sentence, explain what situational irony is using an example (either from the story or your own idea).
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Why do you think the author, Shirley Jackson, chose to end the story this way?