The short story discussed in this essay is “The Watcher” which is written by Guy Vanderhaeghe. The story focuses on the learning experiences of the narrator, Charlie, who is an eleven year old boy stuck on his Grandma’s farm. Through Charlie’s natural ability to observe, experiences with sex, violence, and power Charlie transform him from being a watcher to a participant in the adult world surrounding him. In the beginning of the story, …showed first 75 words of 793 total…

…showed last 75 words of 793 total…and violence all become intertwined with each other to the point that Charlie can not distinguish one from the other. The consequence of Charlie’s encounters with these incidents is a mix of pleasure with power and violence. Charlie learns that he can benefit himself and gain pleasure by having power over others. With these experiences Charlie transforms from a watcher to a person who is capable of participating in the power struggle between adults.