The entries for this report
open with April 1st. On this day, a bakery worker who mixes the
dough has quit, and Frank and Joe suggest that Charlie take over the job. The
joke, however, backfires as Charlie demonstrates that he can actually mix the
dough better than the original worker. Mr. Donner, owner of the bakery,
promotes Charlie, which angers Frank and Joe.
Charlie learns about
punctuation and grammar, and his writing makes a marked improvement. He is
reading more and even starts learning geography and mathematics. He has
developed a solid memory, and his IQ has improved to about 100.
Charlie recalls memories of
his mother, the birth of his sister, and an incident when his mother feared
that he would harm his sister. He cannot, however, remember the details of the
event.
Charlie attends a party with
his co-workers, where he is forced to dance with a woman as the group makes fun
of him. His dance stirs some odd feelings about the opposite sex within him.
Charlie becomes deeply troubled as he realizes that his so-called friends have
been making fun of him. He understands that they have not been laughing with
him, but at him. For the first time he feels ashamed of himself. That
evening he has a "wet dream" of the girl at the party.
Charlie recalls a painful
memory from his youth, where he was teased and taken advantage of by some older
boys. He has a complex nightmare about his intelligence, and he is suddenly
afraid of losing his new-found abilities.
Later Charlie dreams that
Miss Kinnian becomes offended by some of the words he has used in his progress
reports. After free-associating about the dream, he recalls an incident when
he was eleven years old, involving a young woman who never teased him. In the
dream, it's Valentine's Day, and Charlie decides to give a Valentine to the
girl. He plans on giving her a locket he found, and he asks a fellow student
to write a note to her for him. The fellow student writes a distasteful note.
Charlie follows the girl home, and she takes the note and present. The next
day at school the girl's older brothers confront Charlie and accuse him of
writing a dirty note to their sister. They brutally beat him.
This report ends with
Charlie taking another Rorschach test. He becomes extremely angry and vents
his emotions on Burt Selden, believing that Burt and Nemur have been making fun
of him. For the first time, Charlie expresses violent anger and suspicion.
Charlie remarks that his journal entries are becoming more difficult to write
because he is aware that others are reading them.
Analysis
Though Charlie is becoming
more intellectually sophisticated, certain emotional issues are beginning to
arise. A deeper sense of self-awareness has definitely blossomed in him, as is
evident in his anger at others and his suspicion directed at those he imagines
are making fun of him. His dreams suggest that he might have been emotionally
stunted by the events of his youth. Finally, the odd feelings stirred by his
dance with the woman at the party, combined with his wet dream, make it clear
that he is beginning to develop as a sexual being.
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