Characterisations
The main character of the short story “Like Charlie” by John Boyne is Nick Dartie. Other important characters are Lewis – Nick’s father and Charlie – Nick’s brother. The mother, Annabel, is only shortly mentioned by Nick, but her existence makes us better understand the situation of the Dartie family. In what follows, we will deal with the characterisation of the four members of the Dartie family.
Nick Dartie
Nick Dartie is a ten year old boy. Since the beginning, it becomes clear that he does not prefer to engage in typically boyish activities. He is rather shy and prefers solitude to being with others:
“He didn’t care for numbers but treasured words. He felt awkward when he was surrounded by people, preferring to be left alone whenever possible. Instinctively, he ran from moments of violence and towards the possibility of an embrace. He never cared for sports, had no abilities with bat or ball, but kept his books in pristine condition and could find the one he needed at a moment’s notice.” (ll. 1-6)
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Lewis Dartie
Lewis is Nick and Charlie’s father. He is a very rich man, as he owns a boat, a house in Manhattan and a vacation house: “He hated the tall, beech-surrounded brownstone on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that his family called home (…) but felt safe in the quiet Essex Green cottage on Nantucket Island where they spent their vacations.” (ll. 6-10)
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Charlie Dartie
Charlie is Nick’s older brother. Although he does not take part in the action, he is portrayed through Nick’s memories and flashbacks. Charlie is thirteen and he is very similar to his father. He is extremely masculine in all he does:
“Charlie, who at thirteen years of age looked like a junior version of Lewis himself and was already shaving. Charlie, who’d scored three touchdowns to beat the Cincinnati Juniors at the inter-school play-offs only a few days before. Charlie, who was everything his younger brother wasn’t.” (ll. 43-47)
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Annabel Dartie
Annabel is the boys’ mother. The first sentence of the short story reveals the fact that she is loved and feared by Nick at the same time: “He loved his father and he loved his mother but was afraid of them both.” (l. 1)
There is an interesting contrast in the first part of the short story. Instead of being happy with the company of his mother, Nick enjoys more the company of the housekeeper, who has a more important place in his heart:
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