The Charmer

Winnifred is the the protagonist of the story and the story is told from her perspective. As a child, Winnifred is a trusting girl who’s naive and pure child’s mind sees no faults in her elder brother, Zack, and gets manipulated into thinking he is a saint. This can be seen in the quotes,
“I was Zachary’s willing slave” and “My heart lay open and eager.” However as she grows up and starts to comprehend the circumstances of her household, she starts to identify the negative effects that Zack’s
“charm” has on her family. And although able to understand that her brother is flawed, she still looks up to him. The quote, “
By the time I was thirteen, Zachary’s halo was dimming, but I still adored him,” shows this. This shows that she is still faithful at this point in her life.
Nevertheless, although WInnifred admires Zack as a child, as an adult, she becomes a wise, determined mother, eager to not make the mistakes she and her own mother made in the past. As Winnifred matures into adulthood and the negative effects of not recognizing Zack’s faults earlier becomes evident in her mother, Winnifred applies the mistakes made by her parents to how she raises her own children. This shows that Winnifred is a dynamic character. Zachary’s character and his effect on his family members is the main focus of the story. Zachery is the elder brother of Winnifred and growing up, he is a rebellious teen who seems to get through life relying on his charm. Zachary is described as being very beautiful, loved and cherished by everyone around him, as shown in the quote,
“He was surrounded by a bevy of admirers.”
He uses his wit to get out of every problematic situation. However, his “charm” can be seen as a form of euphemism and can be
associated