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How does the story's ending develop Charles's character?
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The story's ending reveals Charles's character as embittered and resentful due to perceived favoritism towards his brother GL. Initially, Charles's grievances seem justified, but his brother's innocent and affectionate demeanor highlights Charles's unjustified resentment. This shift underscores that Charles's bitterness stems not from actual mistreatment but from a misunderstanding of familial dynamics. GL's genuine friendliness and their mother's explanation of her actions expose Charles's character as flawed by his own misconceptions.
The ending of the story reveals Charles's character to be wholly unattractive, disfigured as it has been by years of bitterness, hatred, and resentment. GL's disarming smile and genuine desire for reconciliation paint Charles in a bad light, indicating that it's the good doctor who's the problem, not his brother or his mother's supposed partiality toward him.
Initially, we might've found ourselves rather sympathetic to Charles's situation; he does appear to have been the victim of unfavorable treatment when he was younger. Such traumatic experiences in one's formative years would damage anyone. But GL's smiling face puts a different perspective on things. Whatever justification Charles may have had for feeling resentment toward his mother, there can be none whatsoever toward GL; he's the innocent party in all of this.
The ending of the story presents a surprise to the reader of "A Visit to Grandmother." Throughout most of his life,...
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Charles has harbored a resentment for his brother GL, who, Charles feels, has received much more maternal love and favored attention than he. But, during his visit to his mother years later, she explains to Charles that she has given GL more attention than she has Charles throughout their lives because she always felt she must focus upon GL in order to prevent him from hanging: "GL could-a ended up swinging if I hadn't."
At the very end of the story, when GL, the reckless brother of Charles, enters the house, it is with the "innocent smile of a five-year-old" that he calls out that he has heard his brother is in town. The friendly tone of his voice, and his ingenuous smile and genuine affection displayed for his brother underscore what his mother has just said of him to Charles as she defends her having given him more attention. It also contradicts the grievances which Charles holds against GL. Therefore, Charles has lived his life with resentment towards his mother, believing that she has preferred GL because he is very light-skinned. He has also harbored resentment toward his brother that has been completely unfounded.