Charlie
Outer characterization
Charlie is one of the main characters of the short story “Reunion” by John Cheever. His age is not revealed, but his father’s refusal to tell the waiter how old Charlie is suggests that he might be underage:
‘How old is the boy?’ the waiter asked.
‘That,’ my father said, ‘is none of your goddamned business.’
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ the waiter said, ‘but I won’t serve the boy another drink.’ (pp. 1-2, ll. 42-43, l. 44)
Charlie’s parents have been divorced for three years (p. 1, l. 9) and his father has been living separately in New York. The narrative begins with Charlie mentioning that he is traveling from his grandmother’s house in the Adirondack Mountains to a cottage that his mother rented “on the Cape” (p. 1, l. 2).
