The novel I’m the King of the Castle is a medium for Susan Hill which she uses to expose the neglected problems of society. She gathers two broken families as the setting of the book: both adults in the family are widowed and have raised their child on their own, in addition, the loneliness lead them seeking for a partner. Within the flawed relationships, we are able to explore the introspections of the self-absorbed parents, witness the violence between children, and apprehend the consequences due to lack of communication between the two generations. These imperfections are the epitome of the gaps in the society: increase in single-parent families, unexpected aggression between children, and several inevitable suicides committed by teens, …show more content…
Edmund’s distant relationship with his family enhances these qualities of apathy, yet through the introspections of the character Joseph Hooper, ‘I have tried to avoid my own father’s mistakes, but I have only succeeded in replacing them with my own.’ we gather that he has the consciousness of the responsibility of being a father, however, reluctance from Edmund, hesitation to educate and timidity to reach out prevents the growth of this kinship. In spite of this, the characters of Joseph Hooper become the obstacle that lets him struggle in this relationship---his cowardice, skeptic qualities hinder his behavior to communicate with his son, in order to alleviate his guilt of not interacting actively, he allowed himself to indulge in the stereotypical misconception of all children--- Edmund is unable to perform any act of cruelty, therefore, it is unnecessary to understand the minds of such an innocent being. Though this being said, Joseph Hooper continuously inculcate the value of the red room and his distorted view of dynasty to the mind of Edmund, he regards Warings as fortune and status rather than childhood memories and warmth, ‘The collection is worth a great deal of money.’ As Joseph ponders and acknowledges his mediocrity, which Hill reveals :‘He knew himself to be ineffectual man.’, he admits that the inheritance of Warings can fill the breach in his imperfections and self-esteem. His egocentric pursuits of reputation is revealed in the interior monologues, ‘But now, with his father gone, he could speak of ‘Warings- my place in the country’, the author not only presents the indifference to the father’s death, but reveals his desire to crawl up to the peak of society, or at least, grasp attention from the