Charles Wallace Murry
Encyclopedia
Charles Wallace Murry is a major character in Madeleine L'Engle
's young adult
science fiction
novels A Wrinkle in Time
, A Wind in the Door
, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet
, sometimes referred to as the Time Trilogy. He is the younger brother of Meg Murry
and of the twins Sandy and Dennys Murry
.
Charles has blue eyes, and is repeatedly said to be small for his age. At fifteen, he looks "no more than twelve." This is offset somewhat by a mature and serious demeanor.
He prefers to be called Charles Wallace rather than Charlie or Chuck, as noted in Wind and Planet, but Meg frequently calls him simply Charles. In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, he allows Mrs. O'Keefe to call him Chuck, correctly guessing that she is identifying him with someone from her personal past (her brother, as it turns out).
According to an April 2004 article in The New Yorker
, Charles Wallace is thought to be partly based on Madeleine L'Engle's son, the late Bion Franklin. L'Engle herself has acknowledged that Bion was the model for another of her characters, Rob Austin, but has not stated a similar provenance for Charles Wallace.
, to rescue his father from the planet Camazotz. Trusting too much in his own abilities, Charles Wallace allows himself to join with the mind of IT, pure evil incarnated
as a disembodied brain
, and must himself be rescued by Meg.
In A Wind in the Door, Charles Wallace is bullied by fellow children and attacked by supernatural characters called the Echthroi
, the forces of evil and "Xing." They cause Charles Wallace's mitochondria
to sicken by interfering with the fictional "farandolae" within them. This weakens and nearly kills Charles Wallace. Meg, Calvin, Proginoskes, and Meg's former school principal Mr. Jenkins are all sent inside one of Charles Wallace's mitochondria to counter the Echthroi influence and encourage the young farandolae to "deepen," thus saving Charles Wallace's life.
In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace travels in time to try to stop Mad Dog Branzillo's nuclear plans, going "within" various characters whose actions will help determine Branzillo's ancestry, and whether he is a mad dictator or "a man of peace." Again the Echthroi attack Charles Wallace and try to prevent him from completing his mission.
(1965) and also appears in Dragons in the Waters (1976). Like Charles Wallace, Charles is depicted as being empathic, especially with respect to the people he loves. Ironically, however, Charles Wallace Murry is mysteriously absent from the books in which Charles O'Keefe and his elder sister Polly
(sometimes spelled Poly, short for Polyhymnia
) appear. In A House Like a Lotus
(1984), Polly writes that "Mother's youngest brother, the one Charles is named after, is off somewhere on some kind of secret mission, we don't know where." Later, in An Acceptable Time
(1989), Polly is given Charles Wallace's old room, newly redecorated for her, when she stays at her grandparents' house. The implication appears to be that at the time of the book, Charles Wallace is either dead or not expected to visit his parents anytime soon.
Madeleine L'Engle herself has said that "Charles Wallace is alive and well until I hear otherwise." In her 1998 edition of Suncatcher: A Study of Madeleine L'Engle and Her Writing (ISBN 1-880913-31-3), author Carole F Chase states that L'Engle is frequently asked about the character's whereabouts, but that L'Engle herself "doesn't know what has happened to him." L'Engle promised that "when she finds out, she will write about it." No further mentions of him have been published, and since L'Engle's death it is unlikely that we will ever find out any more about this character.
's father, Wallace Collin Franklin. The novel A Wrinkle in Time, the plot of which centers on Charles Wallace and Meg trying to retrieve their absent father, is dedicated to both men. (Camp died in 1935, when L'Engle was a teenager.) L'Engle also used the name Wallace for Dr. Wallace "Wally" Austin, the father of Vicky Austin
and her three siblings in the Austin family series of books.
co-starred as Charles Wallace Murry in a Disney
television adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, which was broadcast on ABC. Directed by John Kent Harrison, and with a teleplay
by Susan Shilliday, it features a somewhat different Charles Wallace from the one in the books. The television Charles Wallace is already reading a dictionary at the age of five, whereas in the corresponding novel he has his mother look up words for him. More significantly, the television Charles Wallace is easily induced on the basis of arrogance to behave cruelly toward Meg on Camazotz. The film is available on DVD.
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
's young adult
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novels A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and...
, A Wind in the Door
A Wind in the Door
A Wind in the Door is a young adult science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle. It is a companion book to A Wrinkle in Time, and part of the Time Quartet .-Plot summary:...
, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
A Swiftly Tilting Planet is a 1978 science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, part of the Time Quartet. In it, Charles Wallace Murry, an advanced and perceptive child in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, has grown into adolescence...
, sometimes referred to as the Time Trilogy. He is the younger brother of Meg Murry
Meg Murry
Margaret "Meg" Murry O'Keefe is the main character and main protagonist in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet of Science fantasy novels, the daughter of two scientists, the sister of twins Sandy and Dennys Murry and telepath Charles Wallace Murry, and the mother of Polly O'Keefe and others in the...
and of the twins Sandy and Dennys Murry
Sandy and Dennys Murry
Alexander "Sandy" Murry and Dennys Murry are fictional identical twins in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet. They play only minor roles in three of the books but are the protagonists of Many Waters...
.
Traits
Charles Wallace did not learn to talk until he was almost four, but then talked in full sentences, skipping over the "baby preliminaries" as Meg said. Because of his brilliance and his shyness, he is bullied by fellow children and misunderstood by adults outside his family. He recognizes that this is a problem he must solve himself; that like any new lifeform, he must learn to adapt successfully to his environment in order to survive.Charles has blue eyes, and is repeatedly said to be small for his age. At fifteen, he looks "no more than twelve." This is offset somewhat by a mature and serious demeanor.
He prefers to be called Charles Wallace rather than Charlie or Chuck, as noted in Wind and Planet, but Meg frequently calls him simply Charles. In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, he allows Mrs. O'Keefe to call him Chuck, correctly guessing that she is identifying him with someone from her personal past (her brother, as it turns out).
According to an April 2004 article in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Charles Wallace is thought to be partly based on Madeleine L'Engle's son, the late Bion Franklin. L'Engle herself has acknowledged that Bion was the model for another of her characters, Rob Austin, but has not stated a similar provenance for Charles Wallace.
History
In A Wrinkle in Time, Charles Wallace befriends the mysterious Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which, who send him, along with his sister Meg and Calvin O'KeefeCalvin O'Keefe
Calvin O'Keefe is a major character in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet series of books, and, as "Dr. Calvin O'Keefe", an important character in her O'Keefe series of young adult novels. In an interview released on the DVD of the TV adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle describes Calvin as "the...
, to rescue his father from the planet Camazotz. Trusting too much in his own abilities, Charles Wallace allows himself to join with the mind of IT, pure evil incarnated
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
as a disembodied brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, and must himself be rescued by Meg.
In A Wind in the Door, Charles Wallace is bullied by fellow children and attacked by supernatural characters called the Echthroi
Echthroi
Echthroi is a Greek word meaning "The Enemy" . The singular form of the word, Echthros , is used in many versions and translations of the Bible for enemy...
, the forces of evil and "Xing." They cause Charles Wallace's mitochondria
Mitochondrion
In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...
to sicken by interfering with the fictional "farandolae" within them. This weakens and nearly kills Charles Wallace. Meg, Calvin, Proginoskes, and Meg's former school principal Mr. Jenkins are all sent inside one of Charles Wallace's mitochondria to counter the Echthroi influence and encourage the young farandolae to "deepen," thus saving Charles Wallace's life.
In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace travels in time to try to stop Mad Dog Branzillo's nuclear plans, going "within" various characters whose actions will help determine Branzillo's ancestry, and whether he is a mad dictator or "a man of peace." Again the Echthroi attack Charles Wallace and try to prevent him from completing his mission.
Where is Charles Wallace?
Meg and Calvin's second eldest child, Charles O'Keefe, is named after Charles Wallace, his uncle. Charles O'Keefe is introduced in The Arm of the StarfishThe Arm of the Starfish
The Arm of the Starfish is a young adult novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1965. It is the first novel featuring Polly O'Keefe and the O'Keefe family, a generation after the events of A Wrinkle in Time...
(1965) and also appears in Dragons in the Waters (1976). Like Charles Wallace, Charles is depicted as being empathic, especially with respect to the people he loves. Ironically, however, Charles Wallace Murry is mysteriously absent from the books in which Charles O'Keefe and his elder sister Polly
Polly O'Keefe
Polyhymnia O'Keefe is the protagonist of the Madeleine L'Engle novels A House Like a Lotus and An Acceptable Time, and a major character in two previous books, The Arm of the Starfish and Dragons in the Waters. The eldest daughter of Meg Murry O'Keefe and Dr...
(sometimes spelled Poly, short for Polyhymnia
Polyhymnia
Polyhymnia , was in Greek mythology the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn and eloquence as well as agriculture and pantomime. She is depicted as very serious, pensive and meditative, and often holding a finger to her mouth, dressed in a long cloak and veil and resting her elbow on a pillar...
) appear. In A House Like a Lotus
A House Like a Lotus
A House Like a Lotus is a 1984 young adult novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Its protagonist is sixteen-year-old Polly O'Keefe, whose friend and mentor, Maximiliana Horne, has sent her on a trip to Greece and Cyprus. As she travels, Polly must come to terms with a recent traumatic event involving Max...
(1984), Polly writes that "Mother's youngest brother, the one Charles is named after, is off somewhere on some kind of secret mission, we don't know where." Later, in An Acceptable Time
An Acceptable Time
An Acceptable Time is a 1989 young adult science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, the last of her books to feature Polyhymnia O'Keefe, better known as Poly or Polly ,...
(1989), Polly is given Charles Wallace's old room, newly redecorated for her, when she stays at her grandparents' house. The implication appears to be that at the time of the book, Charles Wallace is either dead or not expected to visit his parents anytime soon.
Madeleine L'Engle herself has said that "Charles Wallace is alive and well until I hear otherwise." In her 1998 edition of Suncatcher: A Study of Madeleine L'Engle and Her Writing (ISBN 1-880913-31-3), author Carole F Chase states that L'Engle is frequently asked about the character's whereabouts, but that L'Engle herself "doesn't know what has happened to him." L'Engle promised that "when she finds out, she will write about it." No further mentions of him have been published, and since L'Engle's death it is unlikely that we will ever find out any more about this character.
Nomenclature
Charles Wallace is named after Madeleine L'Engle's father, Charles Wadworth Camp, and her husband Hugh FranklinHugh Franklin
Hugh Hale Franklin was an American theatre and soap opera actor. He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma.Franklin was best known for his role as Dr. Charles Tyler on All My Children, a role he played from the show’s first episode in 1970 until 1983...
's father, Wallace Collin Franklin. The novel A Wrinkle in Time, the plot of which centers on Charles Wallace and Meg trying to retrieve their absent father, is dedicated to both men. (Camp died in 1935, when L'Engle was a teenager.) L'Engle also used the name Wallace for Dr. Wallace "Wally" Austin, the father of Vicky Austin
Vicky Austin
Victoria "Vicky" Austin is one of Madeleine L'Engle's most frequently-used fictional characters, appearing in eight books and referred to in at least one more. She is the main protagonist of the Austin family series of books...
and her three siblings in the Austin family series of books.
Television movie
In 2003, child actor David DorfmanDavid Dorfman
David Dorfman is an American teen actor. His most notable role was as Aidan Keller in the 2002 horror film remake The Ring, and its 2005 sequel The Ring Two. He has also appeared in the 2000 film Panic as Sammy. Some people may remember him as the character "Charles Wallace Murry" in the film...
co-starred as Charles Wallace Murry in a Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
television adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, which was broadcast on ABC. Directed by John Kent Harrison, and with a teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
by Susan Shilliday, it features a somewhat different Charles Wallace from the one in the books. The television Charles Wallace is already reading a dictionary at the age of five, whereas in the corresponding novel he has his mother look up words for him. More significantly, the television Charles Wallace is easily induced on the basis of arrogance to behave cruelly toward Meg on Camazotz. The film is available on DVD.
External links
- Charles Wallace at Everything2.com
- L'Engle's Official Site