A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Chapter 10

In the previous chapter, Chuck Maddox is struck by his stepfather, Duthbert Mortmain, and takes a tumble down a flight of stairs. The beginning of this chapter is utter confusion, words strung together in a barely sensible fashion. I have noticed the difference in writing styles between the 1960s and the present. It seems that almost every chapter in this book repeats the same elements, like the Echthroi attacks. But Charles Wallace's newest encounter with an Echthros is a bit different; this one is cunning, trying to lure him out from Within Chuck by acting like Gaudior. But the illusion isn't quite flawless.

Charles Wallace chooses to stay Within Chuck, but his experience is a frantic one. Chuck had fractured his skull and sustained brain damage when he fell. He can barely see, and when he can see clearly, he cannot comprehend what he sees. The time he lives in and the time of his ancestor, Matthew Maddox, swirl together, barely separable. I have only one comparison to give: This boy is now little more than an idiot, incapable of any original thought or reason. I have met so many people similar to Chuck, but none of them are like him at all. They cannot see the past for what it truly was, as if they were there, yet I know for certain that they cannot comprehend.

I imagine that life is a nightmare in Chuck's world. He is told what to do and has to do it, because he cannot say no. He can barely hold his job, a simple matter of putting price labels on canned goods. He knows not where he is, nor what is said or done around him. I choose not to pity him, for his condition is the result of his effort to protect someone he loved. The irony is that it didn't do either of them any good. Grandma died of a heart attack while he was unconsious in a hospital bed.