Essay Questions

What are glacial deposits?

In the first chapter, Meg and Charles go on a pasture where Charles claimed he had seen dragons. The place where he saw the dragons was near two great glacial deposits, shaped like two rocks in an otherwise empty field. A glacial deposit is a collection of big rocks left behind in places where glacial once were. When the glacial withdraws, the elements left behind settle and they are named glacial deposits.

Why wasn’t Charles moved to another class since he was bullied and why he was sent to school if his intelligence was above average?

From the beginning of the novel, the narrator transmits the idea that Charles is extremely bullied at his school. Charles is beaten almost on a daily basis and no one at the school is willing to do anything to help him. The principal refuses to move Charles to another class or to talk with the bullies because in his opinion Charles has to learn how to deal with these things on his own. Charles himself admits that if he were to be moved to a higher class, the children would be much bigger than him and would not solve anything. The mother also is aware of the fact that Charles has to learn how to behave in a normal society and because of this she refuses to take him out of the school even if he has to suffer.

What is mitochondritis?

Mitochondritis is the disease described in the novel in the beginning. It is not something that it is clearly defined but the narrator transmits the idea that it is a serious disease that can affect anyone. Charles is affected by this and he starts to manifest flu-like symptoms, feeling week, experiencing pain and being pale. The only person who knows about this and can explain it is Charles’ mother. The mother is afraid that, if the condition remains untreated, Charles will die.