Introduction:
The story I’m the King of the Castle is set in a desolate area and most of the action transpires largely in a house known as Warings. The story centers around four major characters and follows the bullying and torment of one boy, Edmund Hooper towards another, Charles Kingshaw ending with his chilling suicide. This story evokes a fair number of questions from the reader, one more commonly discussed question being, and who is most to blame for the death of Charles Kingshaw? There is no one answer, for when analyzing this highly debatable question a number of related issues come into play, a highly contentious one being whether nature impacts how we behave more than how we are nurtured.
Edmund Hooper:
Edmund Hooper could easily be blamed for the death of Charles Kingshaw for it can be assumed that if it weren’t for his constant taunting and pestering nothing would have happened to Kingshaw. This again however is not a position one can take with absolute certainty, for in many ways Charles Kingshaw did not appear to be able to stand his ground and fight for his rights. We do know however that his destructive power is demonstrated by the author fairly early on in the novel. The forbidden act of touching the largest moth in the red room signifies his destructive power and his lack of respect for his grandfather’s collection. In addition it that the moth completely disintegrates foreshadows the impact he will have on anyone who crosses him.
Ironically Kingshaw’s