I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill. - Throughout the novel, what is the relationship between Hooper and Kingshaw?

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James Davies          Year 11             English Course work          November 2002

I’m the King of the Castle by Susan Hill.

Q. Throughout the novel, what is the relationship between Hooper and Kingshaw?

In this novel there is one main theme, it is based around the hatred and animosity between Hooper and Kingshaw.  Straight from the start of the two meeting Hooper makes sure to let his feelings be shown.  Throughout the novel Kingshaw and Hooper are continually battling against each other and Hooper takes on the role of being a very nasty bully.

As soon as Hooper finds out that someone else will be living with him, he immediately shows that he is not happy about it. Hooper’s mother had died a while before and it seems that he had taken it rather badly.  This is the only reason the book shows why Hooper is like he is.  He wants to be alone; he likes to shut everyone away from him.

When Hooper’s guest, Kingshaw, arrives he straight away tries to make Kingshaw feel unwelcome.  Before Kingshaw gets through the front door, Hooper throws down a lump of plasticine. It read: ‘ I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO COME HERE’.  

When the boys meet in Kingshaw’s new bedroom, there is a lot of tension.  “Why have you come here?” Fearfully Kingshaw did not know how to react, he backed away. Straight away Hooper starts to make fun of Kingshaw.  He jokes about his poverty and then teases and taunts him about his background.  Then the two boys briefly scrapped, “ Kingshaw raised his fists at Hooper.”  Kingshaw certainly wasn’t expecting this kind of welcome; when he was left alone he cries and becomes afraid of what might happen to him.

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Kingshaw then decides to go and explore the surroundings but on his way back a hovering crow attacks him. Hooper becomes an extremely nasty and twisted little boy, that night he puts a dead crow in Kingshaw’s bed.

Hooper takes Kingshaw into the room where all the moths are kept.  Hooper sees that Kingshaw finds them frightening and vindictively locks him in the room with them.  But although Kingshaw was extremely frightened, he knew that if he had screamed or banged on the door Hooper would realise that he had got to him.  So instead he just sat ...

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