Charlotte Graves

Charlotte Graves is an aging, affluent citizen of fictional Finden, Massachusetts. She comes from wealthy family--her father was a politican-- and lives in the family home on a wooded piece of property. Charlotte is a widower--her husband, Eric, passed away--and has been on her own ever since. Ever since she lost her job as a school teacher due to her candid teaching style, she has slowly lost her grip on reality. She has two dogs, Sam and Wilkie, who have developed unique personalities and "speak" to her.

Charlotte is feuding with Doug because he has built a lavish house on plot of land that her family used to own. The family sold the land to the town of Finden when was then bought by Doug who destroyed the nature (forest) that was originally occupying the land in order to construct a castle of a house that is intended to reflect his wealth. Charlotte despises Doug for this and what it symbolically represents: unnecessary wealth that capitalism created infringing on the naturalistic world. Rather than being part of the impoverished and oppressed social class, she despises what Doug represents because she is an advocate for this socioeconomic class. Beginning with her college experience she, she has been a humanist; an advocate for civil rights and women’s rights. This is yet another way she views Doug as an enemy.

There is a contrast between new and old money; Doug represents new money because he did not inherit his wealth, he made his wealth by way of his own networking and work. Charlotte represents old money because she did not work for her money as Doug did, rather she inherited it through her formally prestigious father.

Ideology
The character’s main beliefs center around political awareness, truth-seeking, and protest in the face of corruption. A more concrete example of Charlotte’s views can be seen in the narrative of her career. Her most recent occupation as a public school history teacher unraveled when she was fired for refusing to sugar-coat many aspects of American history. For example she exposed her students, in full, to the atrocities of slavery in America and refused to teach directly from the text books. The parent’s complaints piled up and Charlotte lost her job when she refused to teach the history class in a way that met the school board’s desires.

Another way her anti-corruption beliefs are exemplified can be seen in her on-going battle and contempt for Doug Fanning. To Charlotte, Doug represents everything that is wrong with America: he values domination, money, materialism, and power without regard for the consequences of his conquests. Because Charlotte has lost most of the once important things in her life, she passionately believes that battling Doug in court is the dying declaration of her passionate political beliefs. She is consumed by her ideals (which have become her only life-driving force) to the point of committing suicide in an act of protest.

Although Charlotte places her ideologies high above all other concerns, she is a very sentimental and nostalgic character. Her nostalgia is perhaps her most relatable feature, as it is one of the only forces that allows her to appreciate and connect with others. The connection between her memories and interpersonal relationships is shown through the value she places on Henry and Nate. It seems as if Charlotte can only authentically experience love for her brother when she recalls their pleasant childhood. Also, Nate becomes important to her in a more pronounced way when she realizes that he reminds her of a young Eric.

Charlotte's Dogs: Sam & Wilkie
Charlotte's closest companions have been her dogs since her job dismissal. Sam, a purebred mastiff, was adopted by Charlotte several years after her move to Finden from New York. Wilkie, a Doberman, was adopted a year after Sam from the local pound. Recently, Charlotte began to personify the dogs' dialogue and respond to them as well. Sam's dialogue is portrayed as wise, Cotton Mather-esque and biblical, whereas Wilkie presents a more aggressive, Malcolm-X-esque, black power manner. The dogs are Charlotte's strongest companions in the book, and it could be possible that she hallucinates the conversations with them to have a conversation with the unconscious in her mind to figure out her thoughts.

Eric
Charlotte's late lover, Eric, represented a carefree and youthful chapter of Charlotte's life. The couple had resided in Charlotte's New York apartment before Eric's abrupt death which forced Charlotte to move back to her hometown. Eric and Charlotte met at a party, during Charlotte's doctoral program, the two had instantly hit it off. At the time, their relationship was unconventional; Charlotte was Eric's senior and they were an unmarried couple living together. The two came from different religious backgrounds, which was another reason her family despised him. As their relationship progressed, Eric depended on Charlotte financially. It's later revealed that Eric is a heroin addict, and Charlotte hides this from her family. She supports Eric during his withdrawal of the drug, however this doesn't stop the imminent relapse and overdose. Eric provided an alternative to the solitude and fierce independence that she had been accustomed to with an unconditional love. Through her old age, Charlotte is still reminiscent about her romantic affair with Eric and with Nate in her life she's begun to have frequent flashbacks because of his uncanny resemblance to Eric. This shows the profound impact their relationship had on her life.

Quote
"Trees," she said. "Before you came. All of it. Trees." (p.28)

- Charlotte Graves