What are three clues Jackson gives that indicate that Laurie, not Charles, is the problem?

At first glance, 's short story ""
seems to be
a simple tale of a young boy convincing his parents that a fictional student
is
responsible for his own antics at school. However, much has been written
about the complexity
that may underlie Jackson's writing, including the fact
that she based some of the exploits on
real characters. Additionally, Jackson
may have written "Charles" with the intent that
the story mean much more than
the words at face value seem to.

Jackson
provided readers
with several tips indicating that Laurie himself is causing the problems he

attributes to Charles. Early in the story, Laurie tells his parents of Charles' antics
but
wanders off without answering his father's probing questions.

Laurie thought. It was Charles, he said. He was
fresh.The teacher spanked him and
made him stand in the corner. He was
awfully fresh.

What did he do? I asked
again, but Laurie
slid off his chair, took a cookie, and left, while his father was still

saying, See here, young man.

Laurie is again
asked
about Charles and reveals another of his antics. After the below
exchange, he also tells a joke
in which he says to his father, "Gee your
dumb" as part of the joke. These reveal to
the reader that there is much more
than an innocent little boy to the personality of
Laurie.

"The next day Laurie remarked at lunch, as
soon
as he sat down, Well, Charles was bad again today. He grinned enormously and
said,
Today Charles hit the teacher."

Later in the story
it is revealed that Laurie came home late from
school with the following tale, at which point
readers may wonder if Laurie
is Charles since Laurie was late getting home.

"On Monday Laurie came home late, full of news. Charles, he
shouted
as he came up the hill; I was waiting anxiously on the front steps. Charles,
Laurie
yelled all the way up the hill, Charles was bad again.
Come
right in, I said, as
soon as he came close enough. Lunch is waiting. />You know what Charles did? he
demanded, following me through the door.
Charles yelled so in school they sent a boy in from
first grade to tell the
teacher she had to make Charles keep quiet, and so Charles had to stay
after
school."

Of course finally, at the end of
the
story, the author includes that Laurie's teacher tells his mother there
is no Charles in
kindergarten as a final clue that Laurie is in fact
Charles.