How and why does Charles Wallace change in A Wrinkle in Time?

Charles Wallace is an unusual child. According to his mother, he is “new.” People think that he is stupid, but by his conversation, one can tell that he is exceptionally bright and mature. He has a depth of insight that is beyond that of his sister, Meg. He is confident, even prideful, in his abilities. It is this that gets him into trouble. When confronted with IT, Charles Wallace thinks that he can “go into” IT, letting it take control of his mind. This is a fault that Mrs. Whatsit had warned him about. He is immediately consumed by IT’s mind and tries to talk Meg into submitting as well. It is only through her impatience and her anger at what IT has done to Charles Wallace that she is able to rescue him and pull him back from IT.

Compare others' perception of Charles Wallace to his true nature in A Wrinkle in Time.

Charles Wallace, the little brother in A Wrinkle in Time, is quiet when he is out in public. He did not speak until the age of four. People in town and some of the school children sometimes refer to him as a “moron.” Both he and his sister Meg, a teenager, have special abilities but are misunderstood in town and at school. Both youngsters are mislabeled. Fortunately, their parents do not make this mistake, and the children's upbringing instills faith in their own abilities. This faith is challenged during the course of their adventures but remains at the core.

We learn in the very first chapter that five-year-old Charles Wallace has an uncanny ability to understand what is going through other people's minds and to anticipate their needs. You can have a deeper understanding of this trait and find a touching example of his sweet nature by re-reading chapter 1.

Recall that in real life, impressions can be colored by ignorance and prejudice, and this is the case with Charles Wallace. He is not like other children his age, and therefore people conclude that there is something wrong with him. His parents and siblings, however, are well aware that in truth he is intellectually gifted—a true genius. Charles Wallace is only a kindergartener, but his extensive vocabulary stuns Calvin O’Keefe when the two first meet. However, he is not arrogant or obnoxious.

Charles Wallace’s precocious scientific and mathematical skills, as well as emotional maturity and sense of logic, are also very apparent to the extraterrestrial beings Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which. When he, Meg, and Calvin embark on their journey to find and rescue their father, Charles Wallace remains poised and explains the science behind “tessering.”

When the children land on the planet Camazotz, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which can no longer accompany them. The trio is left alone on the mission of finding and rescuing Meg’s and Charles Wallace’s father. But before the three extraterrestrials depart, Mrs. Which tells each child what his or her “special gift” is. Surprisingly, she does not tell Charles Wallace that his special gift is that of intelligence, but rather that of resilience.