In " I"m The King of the Castle " by Susan Hill the reader is presented with two young boys and throughout the novel their relationship changes as they battle for power. In the novel the elder of the two boys, Edmund Hooper, constantly torments Charles Kingshaw, and the story ends with a demonstration of the devastating effects of bullying.
Edmund Hooper is the older of the two boys who has moved to a new house, Warings, when his grandfather died and his father inherited the family estate. Edmund's mother died when he was young and his father looks after him now. When the Hoopers move to the new house his father feels that they need a woman around the house. So he hires Mrs. Kingshaw to work and stay at Warings, at first she is just an "informal housekeeper" but soon she and Mr. Kingshaw become close friends and plan to get married. When Charles arrives at Warings Edmund feels that his power is threaatened. He feels that it is rightfully his house and Charles shouldn't be living with him, Edmund writes a note to Charles before he has even spoken to him " I DON"T WANT YOU TO COME HERE " and throughout the novel Edmund constantly frightens and torments Edmund when he has done nothing wrong. When Charles arrives the first conversation leads to a scrap between the two boys " You"d better shut the window, Kingshaw said, its my window now He raised his fists and came at Kingshaw".
Charles Kingshaw is the younger of the two boys. His father died when he was young and his mother looks after him. He moved up from Wales with his mother so his mother can get work at Warings. Mrs. Helena Kingshaw is exited about the move to Warings and feels that Charles will have a new companion his age and that they will be good friends. Charles doesn't want to move to Warings and wanted to stay in Wales. Once at Warings he is constantly threatened by Edmund and any efforts to befriend him are rejected .
When Kingshaw arrives at Warings Hooper immediately begins totorment him.
