Laurie's
mother notices that her son becomes bolder. Laurie is no longer the timid "sweet-voiced
nursery-school tot" of a year ago. In his place is a loud and often brash character whom
Laurie's mother does not recognize.
At the end of the first day of
kindergarten, Laurie slams the front door after entering the house. Then, he loudly asks whether
anyone is home. At lunch, Laurie speaks rudely to his father and spills his baby sister's milk.
In short, Laurie seems to have morphed overnight into a loud, sarcastic character who delights
in shocking his parents.
Laurie's mother notices that her son particularly
likes talking about , a seemingly recalcitrant classmate. During their conversations, Laurie
blames Charles for every disruption endured by his kindergarten class. To Laurie, Charles is a
larger-than-life character. He never needs to wear a jacket, and he even has the temerity to
kick the teacher's friend.
It is only when Laurie's mother attends the P.T.A.
meeting that she makes an important discovery: there is no Charles in Laurie's classroom. This
means that Charles is Laurie's alter ego; he is a character crafted to help him navigate the
strange new world of kindergarten.
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