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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I’m the King of the Castle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Property and Class
Childhood
Fear and Psychological Manipulation
Imprisonment and Escape
Nature
Summary
Analysis
One day, while Edmund is visiting London with Joseph, Charles finds “the room.” This room of the house is small and seems to serve no “particular function of its own.” It contains, among other things, an armless chair, a table with a drawer, and a big glass cabinet containing dozens of old female dolls. Everything in the room seems to have been “dumped here arbitrarily.”
Charles is attracted to the least ordered, most chaotic room in Warings, perhaps because it seems easier to hide there from Edmund. The room symbolizes the arbitrariness of his own presence at Warings.
Active
Themes
That day, Charles begins building a model of a ship. He enjoys being alone, since other people can be cruel. He thinks about the postcard he’s received from a boy named Devereux, who lives in Norfolk, explaining that he’s been sailing lately. Charles wishes he could be with his friend—but instead, he and his mother have moved to Warings. He thinks with embarrassment of something his mother told him after his father died: “You are all I have left now.”
Charles appears to have friends from his boarding school, who keep in touch even while they’re far away. Charles clearly longs to be with his friends (note the juxtaposition of his sad little model and Devereux’s mention of an actual sailboat). Charles seems to blame his mother for tearing him away from his old life. This isn’t particularly fair, however, since Helena moved to Warings to find work so she could support her child, not just herself.
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Themes
Charles has never hated anyone before, but now he realizes that he hates Edmund. He’s frightened of his hatred, and wishes the feeling would disappear. But he knows that the feeling will never go away—not as long as he shares the house with Edmund.
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Themes
Meanwhile, on a train back from London, Joseph asks Edmund about his friendship with Charles. Edmund replies, “I can’t help it if he locks himself up, can I?” Joseph asks Edmund what Charles does alone in his room, and Edmund shrugs.
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Themes
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The next passage, in quotations, is about a “hulking beast” with a scaly, muddy hide that seeks “blood and death.”
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Themes
On the train, Joseph muses that he should talk to Charles’s mother, and posits that Charles is shy. Edmund shrugs again and resumes reading his comic book, about a “Marsh Monster.” Privately, Edmund is angry that Charles has been able to avoid him lately. In spite of himself, he respects Charles for not screaming at the stuffed crow.
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Themes
Joseph suggests that Edmund take Charles on an “expedition” beyond the house. This makes Joseph think of his own childhood, during which he was almost never allowed beyond the garden. He notices how pale his son is, and realizes that they’re alike in this way.
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Themes
Back at Warings, Charles goes to bed early and makes “plans.” He tells himself, “it won’t go on forever.” For the next few days, he continues planning. He retreats to the doll room to prepare “the things,” knowing that what he’s about to do will surprise others and make them take him seriously.
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Themes
One morning soon after, Joseph greets Charles and shows him some games that he has found. Joseph suggests that Charles and Edmund should play them together. Helena Kingshaw, who’s listening, exclaims, “What a good idea!” and Joseph feels “more than ever satisfied” with her.
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Themes
Charles and Edmund sit inside on a rainy day, holding the board games. Charles half-wonders if they’ll become friends, but then he remembers what he has planned to do. As he thinks about this, his mind is “blank with fear.” The two boys begin to play draughts (a popular English board game). At one point, Helena Kingshaw walks into the room and cheerfully offers them milk, which the boys accept, saying “thank you” and nothing else.
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Themes
After lunch, Charles goes upstairs to the doll room, carrying a small bag. He finds Edmund waiting outside. Edmund demands to know where the key to the room is, and adds, “This is my house.” Charles insists that there’s nothing in the room—a statement which makes Edmund even more curious about what’s inside. Charles hesitates, and then pulls out the key to the room. He might as well show Edmund what he’s been working on, he decides.
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Themes
Inside the room, Edmund looks around. He asks Charles what he has in his bag. He snatches the bag from Charles and finds matches and other “things.” Edmund accuses Charles of being a thief, reminding him that he, Edmund, owns everything in the house. Then, suddenly, Edmund realizes what Charles has been working on. He whistles and says, “Cunning!” and then begins to laugh.
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Themes
Edmund threatens to tell his father what Charles has been working on. But Charles points out that, since “I haven’t said anything,” Edmund has no way of telling on him. Edmund realizes that Charles is right. He studies the “things” once more and then says, “I shall come with you.”
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Themes
For the next week, Charles thinks over his conversation with Edmund. He’s been working on this plan for a while, but now Edmund says that he’ll follow. The idea of Edmund taunting him while he’s enacting his plan is “the worst thing he could imagine. Even worse than going away alone.”
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Themes
Meanwhile, Joseph feels “like a new man.” He plans to host cocktail parties. He also tells Helena Kingshaw, “You have given me new strength. I no longer feel so much alone.” Together, they plan a Sunday morning cocktail party, and they rejoice that their children are getting along.
