THE KING OF THE CASTLE

RED = To be completed
Background and Basic Synopsis
Written by Susan Hill in 1970, the author of "The Woman in Black", "I'm the King in
the Castle" (ITKOTC) circulates primarily around Warings, an old and isolated
Victorian house that has been passed down through generations of the Hooper
family. The conflict begins after the arrival of the young Charles Kingshaw and his
mother, Helena Kingshaw, who attempt to assimilate into society at Warings, living
alongside Mr Joseph Hooper and his son, Edmund Hooper.
The novel follows the events that ensue, highlighting the disparity between boys
Edmund and Charles whilst also reflecting the ignorance of Joseph and Helena, the
supposed voices of reason and maturity.
Chapter Summaries- to be refined and expanded
One- Three months prior to current day, the grandmother of the Hooper household
passes away, prompting the son, Joseph Hooper, to decide that he will not live there
"until it belongs to me" irrespective of the current resident, his father, "giving no
trouble", highlighting their fraught relationship. The grandfather dies and Joseph
merely remarks upon "acquiring a dynastic sense", referring to his dead father as
"old man". Edmund Hooper, Joseph's pre-teenage son, shares his father's
indifference, comparing his lepidopterist grandfather to "one of his dead old moths".
Joseph Hooper, spurred on by his own loneliness, reveals plans to invite tenants to
live at Warings, the house, alongside Edmund and himself before reminding Edmund
not to go into the "Red Room" without his permission. Edmund scorns the idea of
sharing Warings with others and we then learnt that his mother,Joseph's wife, Ellen
Hooper, had died six years previously- "The marriage had not been happy".
We learn the history of Warings, built by Edmund's great-grandfather, the first Joseph
Hooper, "some distance from any other house" in a time of prosperity. Joseph "hoped
to grow into it, as a child grows into overly-large shoes". Derne, the local village, has
since been abandoned and "had shrunk, people had left...there had been few
newcomers, few new buildings...deserted by the sea". Edmund views Warings as
"ordinary...ugly...nothing to boast of" but welcomes "the idea that it was his, the idea
of a family history". Warings is further described as "ugly...entirely graceless...and
badly angled...without any tree or flower-bed to relieve the bald greenness [of the
lawn adjacent to the front on both sides]...bunched between the yew trees, great
bushes of rhododendron".
Further narrative explains "Warings had been built around them [the yew
trees]...Joseph Hooper had admired their solidity and denseness...they grew so
slowly...the longest lived of trees". Nature's part is emphasised by
"rhododendrons...dark green, leathery leaves and toughness of stem...substantial
look... gathered shapes". "Everything was predictable, the high-ceilinged rooms, with

heavy, sashed windows, the massive furniture. Little had been changed since the
beginning". It is subsequently revealed that the current Joseph Hooper "did not like it,
he had unhappy memories of Warings...he had come to admire the solidity and the
gloom...a prepossessing house", before reflecting upon his own inadequacy- "He
knew himself to be an ineffectual man, without any strength or imposing
qualities...little regarded, a man who had failed...a dull man, man who got by...I know
myself and am depressed by what I know".
Joseph Hooper exploits Warings for its expression of strength and provides him with
relative compensation for his own failings- "It would make up for a good deal".
Edmund's room is described as being "high up at the back...narrow...with a tall
window", highlighting his isolation. Warings again- "too dark...it smells unlived-in...like
a museum". Edmund makes a nighttime trip to the red room- "like a room of a
museum...no carpet..display cases stood in two long rows...trays of
insects...recesses in walls". Edmund "hated it violently"- the insect collection and red
room.
Edmund's manipulative nature is elucidated by "feigning interest, acquring
knowledge, disguising his fear". Joseph's continues his self-inspection with "I am not
a hard man...I have more regret about my own son than he had about me...he knew
that he had failed from the very beginning, to ingratiate himself with Edmund".
"Old, stale-smelling air"- Edmund picks up the largest moth but it "disintegrated,
collapsing into a soft, formless heap of dark dust"
Two- Joseph tells Edmund of the imminent arrival of the Kingshaws. Widowed 37
year-old Helena Kingshaw is to bcome an "informal housekeeper". Her son Charles
is almost 11 years old. "Raining hard...great, bruise-coloured clouds hung low".
Edmund ponders the loss of his mother- "He had wondered if he ought to feel his
own mother's absence...he remembered nothing". Edmund thinks "It is my house...it
is private...I got here first. Nobody should come here". "He would not give anything
of himself away. The other boy could be ignored, or evaded, or warned off". "looking
down into the drive without being seen himself". Mrs Kingshaw thinks "He is very
uncertain of himself". Helena- "We cannot leave everything to Mr Hooper...Mrs
Helena Kingshaw wore a jade green suit and worried about it, lest it should be
thought too smart". Helena- "She was anxious that he should like it here, should very
soon feel at home" Kingshaw- "I didn't want to come, I didn't want to come, it is one
more strange house in which we do not properly belong". Note- "I DIDN'T WANT
YOU TO COME HERE". "We live here, it is ours, we belong. Kingshaw has
nowhere". "When my father dies...this house will belong to me, I shall be master. It'll
be all mine". Edmund telles Kingshaw "my grandfather died in this room...this was
not true". Kingshaw "wanted to put his fists up at Hooper"- first face-to-face meeting.
Kingshaw previously tenant in other person's house. Interogation of Kinghsaw about
father and their habitation- evident sense of competition as to who wins debate=

unspoken tension and drama. Charles reveals father died at 20 in Battle of

Britain-"bald, cadaverous man with a mole on his chin". "Kingshaw knew that he had
won, but he did not feel the winner. Hooper had conceded him nothing" Kingshaw
went to St Vincent's school in Wales. "He had started unpacking, but now he would
not, unpacking would make it seem final, as though he had accepted the face that he
was going to stay here, as though there were a future to be considered". Kingshaw"its my window now"- appeals to Hooper's territorial nature- "He [Edmund] raised his
fists and came at Kingshaw". "Scrap was brief and wordless and violent- Kingshaw
bloody nose-"He had never fought another boy like that before. He wondered what
the future would be like now"= this chapter casts doubt over future at Warings
especially for Kingshaw. Hooper- "You do what I say...I'll bash you again just watch
it". K- "You needn't think I wanted to come here, you needn't think I like it". Talk of
school fees- "He had won, and kingshaw knew it". "Kingshaw wondered whether
there might now be some sort of truce between them, whether he might somehow
have won his right to stay here". "He was too vulnerable to let himself indulge in the
making of enemies"= implies past experience. "He had never faced this sort of
hostility. "I've come here and I don't like it, I don't want to stay, I want to be somewere
by myself, in our own place, not in somebody else's place, w always go to live in
somebody's else's place". "He couldn't put any of it into words, not even to himself".
Hooper looks older but is shorter. "You still needn't think you're wanted here. This
isn't your place". "There is nobody". "There was nothing that he would say, nobody to
say it to". "His mother had brought him here, she had been very excited about it, she
had told him it was the answer to a prayer. He was ashamed of the way she had
spoken". Joseph "felt unwelcome here [Edmund's room]". "He did not wish to feel an
intruder, a stranger in his son's room". "I ought to be able to talk freely with him". "It
angered him to see his son's careful map, he wanted to say, this is nothing,
nothing...he wanted to tell the truth of the matter....men and blood and horses, the
boom and stench of gunfire and the noise of pain and the terrible confusion". "He
wished that everything here would please Mrs Helena Kingshaw". Joseph- "I have
tried to avoid my own father's mistakes but I have only succeeded in replacing them
with so many of my own"- considers hitting Edmund but can't bring himself to "assert
himself...he deliberated too long". "she [his wife] had died without leaving him a set of
rules to follow. He blamed her for it". Edmund mechanically and stoically continues
map. Charles- "He liked the conservatory...Nobody seemed to come here". Mrs K"She wore the same bright, hopeful expression with which she had arrived at
Waringss. Things must not go wrong, this is my chance, and I shall not waste it. I
mean us all to be very happy". . "You needn't think I want to take you anywhere"- H
to K. "Hooper made a mocking face". H gives K a tour of house. "I would like to get
right away from Hooper...anything to get away. But he dared not go anywhere outside
the gate of the house, by himself"- contrasts later in book= highlights desperation

and extent H drove him to. "He could pull him over, grab him behind the knees and
overbalance him, so that he would topple through the well of the staircase. He was
terrified of he thought". Hooper walks off. "For a long time he went on sitting"- K on
stairs after H stops mucking around and running through house when he should be
giving K a tour.
Characters and Relationships
Charles Kingshaw- The immediate victim of Edmund Hooper's bullying. Father killed
sometime after fighting in the Battle of Britain. A shy, reserved boy, becoming more
isolated and introvert as the story progresses and losing his human capacity for
empathy and communication. Eventually alienated from his mother and ultimately
rejects Warings as a home.
Key Quotes- "He liked being alone, because he was used to it"
"I hate them, I hate all of them"
"He was afraid all the time"
"He felt known and judged, surrounded by eyes"
"He had to defend himself against all of them"
"People are no good. People can never help me"
"There is nobody at all"
Relationship with...
Helena Kingshaw (Mother)- Initially very close. Single parent and single child
relationship, so complete reliability and affection. Charles does not confide in his
mother about his torment and suffering at Edmund Hooper's hands and scorns her
growing relationship with Joseph Hooper, ultimately viewing his mother as
possession. Mother and son become almost entirely detached by the end of the
novel.
Key Quotes- "He wanted to go to his mother...but he never did go"
"He hated the way she waved her arm about, showing it off"
"He knew what he ought to care about was his mother, but he did not
care"
"She had never known anything about him, he had never wanted it"
"She is my mother...mine"
"There seemed no point at all in trying to talk to her"
Edmund Hooper- Tension builds from the offset. Charles resents Edmund's apparent
grip over his mother and fears him throughout. Sees Edmund as constant, inexorable
threat after multiple failed attempts to escape. Charles reacts to death with
apprehension and disgust while Edmund's response is stoic and indifferent. Edmund
provokes Charles' most truculent and violent qualities, drawing out the worst in his
character.
Key Quotes- "He feared Hooper more than anything in the world"
"Hooper would come, hunting him down"

"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him"

"There will always be Hooper, now, for ever and always...He began to
weep"
"Fuck to you"
"I could have bashed him in with that stick, bashed and bashed his
head in"
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Edmund Hooper- The antagonist of the novel. Edmund is a symbol of evil and
constant threat to Kingshaw. Exposed to death from a young age- lives through the
death of his mother and grandfather. Territorial and solitary, relying upon a weak
father figure. Arrival of the Kinghsaw family intrudes into his solitude and his dynasty
at Warings.
Key Quotes- "It is my house...it is private, I got here first"
"I did that, it was because of me [Charles' suicide], and a spurt of
triumph went through him"
"He wanted nothing to be done, nobody should come here"
Relationship with...
Charles Kingshaw- Finds an easy victim in Charles. Craves to exert control over his
character and manipulates him for his own gain, most notably in Hang Wood.
Knowingly lies to blemish Charles' reputation and the adults' perception of him.
Isolates Charles from all help- uses subterfuge to gain the sympathies of Helena
Kingshaw and finally Fielding.
Key Quotes- "You do what I say"
"Hooper wanted to know what was going on inside his head"
"He raised his fists and came at Kingshaw"
"Something will happen to you Kingshaw"
Helena Kingshaw- Does not view her as the guardian to fill the vacuum his own
mother left and only values her favour so that he may use it against Charles.
Key Quotes- "She'd [Helena] rather be with me than him [Charles]"
"He did not much like her"
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Helena Kingshaw- Initially a caring mother. Gradually self-interest appears to
influence her decisions, driving Charles away. Sycophantic towards Joseph Hooper
and shows sympathy towards Edmund, not realizing his evil nature.
Key Quotes- "This must not go wrong"
"Everything is turning out for the best"
"Excited as a girl"

"It will be just as though we are a family"

"I must think of myself a little more"
Relationship with...
Joseph Hooper- Takes immediate attention to Joseph and tries to compensate for his
kindness by caring for Edmund and behaves with overt gratitude. Sacrifice Charles's
favour in pursuit of Joseph's. Eventually agrees to marry Joseph- it is unclear
whether out of want for stability or love.
Key Quotes- "She wore a jade green suit and worried about it, lest it be thought too
smart"
"We cannot leave everything to Mr Hooper"
"Especially in front of Mr Hooper"
"She enjoyed being treated in that way by Mr Hooper"
"Making a pair"
"You [Charles] should be very polite to Mr Hooper"
Charles Kingshaw- Charles is initially her primary motivation and only companion in
life. In her attempt to treat him and Edmund equally she ends up forsaking Charles
and also alienates him in the process of endearing herself to Joseph and life at
Warings.
Key Quotes- "You're [Charles] all I have left"
"Do not spoil everything for me"
"Anxious that Kingshaw should like it here, very soon feel at home"
"She looked at him [Charles], she saw another person"
"Do not take away my chance"
"She felt a little ashamed of not wanting to take Charles with her"
"I don't understand you [Charles]"
"All the blame lies on him [Charles]"
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Joseph Hooper- Has a meager physique and has little confidence when we first
encounter him, acknowledging his own faults. Fraught relationship with own father
and an unhappy marriage. Feels he has failed as a father and misunderstands his
son, inviting the Kingshaws to relieve Edmund's solitude and his own domestic
responsibility. Gradually increases in confidence throughout the book and solicits
marriage from Helena Kingshaw.
Key Quotes- "He felt unwelcome here [Edmund's bedroom]"
"He is very uncertain of himself"
"He knew himself to be an ineffectual man, without any strength or
imposing qualities...little
regarded, a man who
had failed...a dull man...I know myself and am depressed by what I know"
"I am a lonely man"

"Very tall and thin and dark, like a crow"

"Cough, turned his face away, and shifted in his seat"
"Small mouth"
"Long, thin legs working like scissors"
"Hand was very thin with long bony fingers"
"I am not a man to do things by halves"
"Warmth of his voice"
relationship with...
Helena Kingshaw- Reminds him of his wife. Craves female presence and believes
Helena will provide both a mother for Edmund and a relief of his own loneliness.
Uses her presence to project his own character and confidence. Eventually proposes
marriage.
Key Quotes- "Pleased at her enthusiasm"
"Mr Hooper and Mrs Kingshaw were sitting on their bench"
"I cannot think how I'd have managed it without you [Helena]"
"The pleasure of her company"
"He felt more than ever satisfied with Mrs Helena Kingshaw"
"He had grown used to have a woman about him again"
Edmund Hooper- Cannot penetrate his son's indifference. Blames the death of his
wife for his inability as a parent but ultimately recognises his own shortcomings. Acts
on behalf of Edmund by inviting the Kingshaws to live at Warings and hopes he may
continue the family dynasty and indulge in its history, being Joseph's only heir.
Key Quotes- "An intruder, a stranger in his son's room"
"He look away from his son's gaze, irritated"
"He knew that he had failed, from the very beginning, to ingratiate
himself with Edmund"
"She [his wife] had died without leaving him a set of rules for him to
follow"
"He tried to find someone else, in his son's facial expression...but there
was only a blank"
Charles Kingshaw- Attempts to satisfy Charles and pacify his cynicism towards life at
Warings but does so with the intent of also pleasing Helena Kingshaw; Joseph does
assert authority over Charles as his position with Helena becomes more comfortable.
Key Quotes- " "We are becoming very good friends". Kinghsaw shrank back, not able
to reply"
"You [Helena] need not fear that Charles will be at a disadvantage in
this house"
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FieldingKey Quotes10 Main Events (Chronology may be incorrect)

1. Edmund throws note to Charles from windowImmediate victimization and hostility- moment of Kingshaw family arrival at Warings.
Charles cannot see Edmund but Edmund can see him. Sets uncomfortable tone of
novel. Charles does not respond in anyway and chooses to suffer in silenceprevents himself from receiving help right at the beginning= his fault?
Key quotes2. Edmund locks Charles in the red roomKey Quotes3. Crow pursues CharlesKey Quotes4. Edmund puts taxidermy crow in Charles's bedKey Quotes5. Charles escapes to Hang WoodFoiled by Edmund's presence. Contaminates a potentially euphoric moment and sets
in motion Charles's defeatist, no-escape attitude. Invades Charles's freedom.
Interchange in roles experienced- Charles becomes more dominant and feels a duty
to care for a vulnerable, exposed Edmund.
Key Quotes6. Family trip to Lydell CastleCharles is isolated at the top of the castle and feels an elevated status as he climbs
to the top of the castle, bettering Edmund's climbing ability.
Key Quotes7. Edmund locks Charles in the shedKey Quotes8. Joseph and Helena announce their plans to marry and to send Charles to
Edmund's boarding schoolKey Quotes9. Charles meets FieldingCharles's only relief and true tranquility in the novel.
Key Quotes10. Charles's suicideStoic reaction of Helena who effectively comforts her son's murder- Edmundintensifies the tragedy felt by the reader.
Key QuotesSymbols and Locations
Crow

Hang Wood
Red Rooms
Fielding
Warings
Themes
Power- Evident power struggle between Edmund and Charles. This extends to the
territorial presence of Warings and gaining the favour of the parents and Fielding.
Examples most prolific in Hang Wood.
Key Quotes- "Kingshaw knew that he had won, but he did not feel the winner. Hooper
had conceded him nothing"
"I'm the King of the Castle"
"He [Charles] knew he would go on, losing and losing"
"Irritated that the other boy [Charles] had somehow slipped through his
[Edmund] fingers, had
taken a little of the initiative"
"He [Charles] had so suddenly taken over, walking in front of him
[Edmund] and saying what to do"
"He [Charles] was angry with himself for acknowledging Hooper's
leadership"
"Tried to think of how he could get in front again"
"He [Edmund] won't be able to frighten me [Charles], he won't be leader
anymore"
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Evil- Edmund Hooper is the vessel of evil throughout the book but Hill also deploys
symbols in the form of the crow to reinforce the presence of evil and death. Charles
also finds evil with himself but he reacts with shock and disgust, distrusting himself.
This reaction contrasts Edmund's indulgence and inclination towards evil,
highlighting the fundamental differences between their characters.
Key Quotes- "I [Charles] wished he was dead"
"A spurt of triumph went through him [Edmund- after Charles's suicide]"
"All he looks like...is one of his dead moths [Edmund speaking of his
dying grandfather]"
"He [Charles] could pull him [Edmund] over so that he would
topple...the thought terrified him [Charles]"
"He [Charles] could have bashed him [Edmund] with that stick, bashed
and bashed his head in"
"His [Edmund] voice rang with mockery"
"He [Charles] broke into a cold sweat at his own wickedness"
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Isolation/Loneliness/Solitude- Warings is the foremost source of isolation in the book,

being built away from other houses and civilization. Edmund revels in solitude where
as Kingshaw is very much forced into it The single-parent environment also
exacerbates this issue in the early development of both boys and this loss is evident.
Joseph Hooper also recognizes his own loneliness and comes to accept it. The brief
introduction of Fielding provides Kingshaw with a temporary form of escape.
Key Quotes- "My [Edmund] house, it is private, I got here first. Nobody should come
here"
"He [Charles] liked being alone, he was used to it, he was safe with
himself"
"I [Joseph] am a lonely man"
"People can never help me [Charles]"
"People didn't matter"
"There is nobody at all"
"Extreme isolation"
"Anything to get away"
"It was like having a wall in front of him [Charles] which he must batter
down"
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Childhood Innocence- The contrast between the age and responsibility of Edmund
and Charles with their truculent conflict, both psychological and physical, is a source
of great emotional toil for the reader; however their infantility is elucidated in their
petty altercations of insults that occur sporadically throughout the novel. What most
exacerbates the issue is the ignorance of the parents who underestimate their
children's woes because of their limited preconceptions of people that age. Infantile
exchange of insults in initial confrontation of chapter two.
Key Quotes- "Hooper made a babyish face"
"With his [Edmund] tongue sticking out, and breathing slowly onto the
paper, like a much smaller child crayoning"
"Scaredy"
"Stupid baby"
"Blubbing at a little bit of thunder like a baby"
"I'm [Charles] not scared of being by myself in the bloody dark"
"He [Charles] is bottling it up. He is only ten and that is no age, no age
at all"
"They [Joseph and Helena] talked a length about their
children...knowing nothing of the truth"
"I [Helena] really cannot keep up with the way you boys [Edmund and
Charles] fall in and out in this way"