Roughen up
The first chapter begins with a conversation between Meg and her brother, Charles. The narrator describes the small boy as being in a bad shape, with bruises on his face, his clothes ruffled up, torn and dirty. The narrator reveals another detail, how Charles started to be bullied a few months after he moved to the new school and how the situation did not changed in time but instead became even worse. This portrays Charles as a child who has trouble making himself be accepted by others and as being someone whose behavior makes him the subject of bullying and teasing.
Autumn scenery
The first chapter takes place during autumn and the narrator describes the scenery in which the action takes place. The narrator is careful to point out how nature is changing and how the leaves are falling. This is an important image because it mirrors the way in which Charles gets progressively sicker.
Flushing girl
In the second chapter, Meg has a conversation with her mother about a boy she gets along well in school. Meg is teased by her mother because she can sense the boy likes Meg and that Meg likes him. Meg’s mother points this out and the girl flushes when her mother mentions the boy. This image of Meg flushing is important because until that moment, Meg was presented as being Charles’ caretaker, someone who behaves as if she is not a simple teenage girl. This shows that even though Meg and Charles are extraordinary children, they are still children, with normal inclinations just like any other person.
Reading to her children
In the second chapter, Meg describes an idyllic scene, seeing her mother read to Charles. The two were sitting near the fire and Charles was laying on the dog, listening to what his mother was reading to him. This image is however misleading as Meg mentions what Charles listened to, namely a scientific article from a magazine her mother was reading. This shows that while from the outside the family looked normal, Charles was far from being a normal child.
