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“Charles Wallace is what he is. Different. New.” “New”? “Yes. That’s what your father and I feel.”
Mrs. Murry uses these words to describe Charles Wallace when Meg asks why Charles Wallace is so different and why he seems to understand and communicate in such advanced ways. This quote suggests that Charles Wallace is somehow a part of a new group of human minds that break beyond conventional frameworks of growth and development. Charles Wallace’s sophisticated diction and emotional maturity excel far beyond that of a normal five-year-old, yielding the conclusion that he is undoubtedly unique.
Beware of pride and arrogance, Charles, for they may betray you.
Mrs. Whatsit warns Charles Wallace that because of who he is, he will be the most vulnerable to danger on Camazotz. Though it is not made explicitly clear what kind of special being Charles Wallace is, his human brain is far more advanced than any of his siblings or peers, and his ability to understand and communicate without using words makes him quite special. However, this ability also allows for the evil forces on Camazotz to break into his mind. Although he is especially intelligent, he is not smart enough to avoid giving into youthful pride, which causes him to overestimate his ability to resist the Man with the Red Eyes.
“You mean you read our minds?”
Charles Wallace looked troubled. “I don’t think it’s that. It’s being able to understand a sort of language, like sometimes if I concentrate very hard I can understand the wind talking with the trees. You tell me, you see, sort of inad-inadvertently.”
Charles Wallace tries to explain to Calvin how he can communicate and know things about Calvin, Meg, and Mrs. Murry without speaking. This ability to understand is one of Charles Wallace’s most unique gifts and distinguishes him from any other child his age, often leaving him misunderstood and ostracized. When he meets Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, he realizes there are others like him, and that his special abilities connect him to a world that extends far beyond the bounds of earth.
