Charles By Shirley Jackson Cause And Effect Essay

Laurie had a problem, he was getting into trouble at school. In the story “Charles” by Shirley Jackson, Laurie was a little boy who lived at home with his mother, father and infant sister in the 1950’s. He was just starting kindergarten and was having a difficult time adjusting to school. Laurie also had a secret, and soon enough, it would be discovered. When Laurie returned home from school each day he would tell his parents about Charles, a boy in his class who always seemed to be misbehaving. After the first day of school, Laurie told his parents that Charles was spanked for being fresh to his teacher. On the second day, Laurie told his parents that Charles received another spanking after he hit his teacher. While discussing the situation Laurie's parents said “This Charles boy sounds like a bad influence” (Jackson, 346). Laurie’s parents were concerned that Charles' bad behavior might cause Laurie and the other children to copy Charles’ actions. They were worried about what was happening at school and began to spend more time discussing the situation with Laurie. Laurie enjoyed this attention from his parents and continued to come home from school each day with new stories to share regarding Charles's negative behavior. As the days progressed, Charles was increasingly more mischievous. Upon his return home from school one afternoon,
When the teacher brought in her friend to instruct an exercise class for the children, Charles kicked him. In fact, “Charles was so fresh to the teacher’s friend, he wasn't let to do exercises” (347). When Laurie was confronted by his father about Charles's continued outbursts, he asked Laurie what the school was going to do about Charles. Laurie told his father “throw him out of school, I guess.” (348) Laurie was obviously having difficulties adapting to the new environment of his kindergarten class; but over time he was able to resolve his