Charlie Bucktin Character Analysis

The Basic Facts How old is Charlie? Where does he live? Who are his friends? Describe his family? What is he interested in?

Describing Charlie’s Personality Write a description of Charlie’s personality/attitude to the world at the beginning of the novel. You should use at least 2 adjectives and give specific examples from the novel which support the way you describe him. Does Charlie change at all during the novel? Describe how he changes? Make a list of the factors which cause Charlie’s personality to change.

Charlie’s Relationships Important relationships do not have to be positive. They are relationships which influence the character, and our understanding of the text/its ideas. Make a list of the characters with whom Charlie has important relationships (excluding Jasper). For each relationship you identify complete the following; provide a brief description of the nature of the relationship. Describe why this relationship is important to Charlie.

Charlie as Narrator The novel is narrated in first person; Charlie is our narrator. The narrative style allows the reader to experience the events of the novel as Charlie experiences/interprets them. What are the implications of first person narration in terms of accuracy? Can you think of any examples from the novel when this might be an issue? Why might Charlie interpret events and people differently to another narrator? Why is it important for Silvey to have a young narrator?

How does Charlie help us to understand the themes in the novel?

Loss of Innocence Charlie experiences a journey of loss of innocence throughout the novel. It begins with his discovery of Laura’s body in the glade. At the end of the novel Charlie has come to a more informed understanding of the world, Corrigan and the people around him Make a list of the things which Charlie comes to have a more realistic understanding of throughout the course of the novel.

The Impact of Prejudice Throughout the novel, Charlie becomes more aware of the prejudices in Corrigan. Make a list of the prejudices we are made aware of throughout the course of the novel? What impact do these prejudices have?

Truth and Lies Charlie’s experiences in the novel are based on a complex web of truths and lies. He often has to choose between the truth and lying, which results in conflicting emotions. Make a list of the lies which Charlie tells and explain why he conceals the truth in each case. How does Charlie’s opinion of lying change throughout the novel?

Man’s Inhumanity to Man Throughout the novel Charlie becomes aware of a number of inhumanities, and realises that people are not as ‘good’ as he assumed. Make a list of the inhumanities Charlie becomes aware of throughout the novel. How does Charlie re-evaluate his understanding of other characters because of these?