Summary

In “Charles Lebourne,” when the narrator moved to Bloomington, he found “a simple apartment . . . in the Evermann” (127). He soon became obsessed with watching the Tulip Tree apartment building across the street. Though he liked the Evermann, three things about his new living situation bothered him: his face, “the reflection of the sun’s rays, and a lamp in one particular apartment” at the Tulip Tree (128). Whenever he stared out the window, he could not help seeing his reflection because of the sun. Seeing his face made him aware of his failures. Though he was always praised for being “‘a good kid,’ ‘a good person,’ ‘a hard worker,’” the narrator knew he was “incapable of fully following” through with anything (129). Everyone excused his behavior because of his difficult past. The narrator had made it through life thus far, yet “was a nobody” (130). All of...