In "Charles," who is the main character in the story? What's a reason for your answer?

I think that the mother is the main character in Jackson's "Charles."

Jackson opens and closes with the mother's frame of reference.  The narrative begins with her reflection about Laurie starting kindergarten.  It speaks to how she perceived a potential change in her son when he "renounced corduroy overalls with bibs" in place of "blue jeans with a belt."  This detail is striking because it shows how the mother sees her son drifting away from...

I think that the mother is the main character in Jackson's "Charles."

Jackson opens and closes with the mother's frame of reference.  The narrative begins with her reflection about Laurie starting kindergarten.  It speaks to how she perceived a potential change in her son when he "renounced corduroy overalls with bibs" in place of "blue jeans with a belt."  This detail is striking because it shows how the mother sees her son drifting away from her.  When she furthers this with how Laurie's start of kindergarten reminds her that "an era of my life has ended," it is clear that we are seeing her son's experience through her own eyes.  She tells us how he came home, the way he responded to his father, and what he said.  Her narrative focus drives the story, and in doing so, helps to make her the main character.

When we experience the ending of the story, our attention turns to her. As it becomes clear her son is the classroom disruption, everything we once thought changes.  She moves from being a concerned parent who has good intentions, but is limited in what she can do to an oblivious parent who failed to see the changes in her son.  The problems that she saw as someone else's are now her own and this shift is significant to her characterization.  The story's conclusion has a jarring effect on the reader because of how we see the mother and helps to make her the main character.