Gran (Charlie’s Grandmother) Character Analysis
Overview
Gran (never given a first name in the novel) is Charlie Matters’ grandmother and sole guardian during the early years of the London Blitz. She lives with him in a cramped flat at 13 Dapleton Terrace, Bethnal Green. Though she works a physically demanding job at a bakery and suffers from rheumatism, a heart condition, and extreme poverty, Gran pours every ounce of her energy into protecting and feeding the grandson she adores. She is a portrait of unwavering love in the face of wartime deprivation.
Plot Role and Significance
Gran’s role is the anchor that keeps Charlie anchored to a semblance of childhood. She represents the only stable family presence after the deaths of his father (presumed killed at Dunkirk), his mother (killed by a bomb while walking Charlie to school), and his grandfather (crushed in the Bethnal Green tube station disaster). Her sudden death from a heart condition in Chapter 40 is the catalyst that plunges Charlie into the main plot of Strangers in Time. Without her, the fourteen‑year‑old has nowhere to go—and he soon meets Molly and becomes entangled in the mystery of The Book Keep and Ignatius Oliver.
Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions
Gran’s primary motivation is keeping Charlie alive and educated. She sacrifices her own comfort daily:
- She rises before dawn, dresses in threadbare clothes, and takes a jarring bus ride to work at the bakery so she can bring home stale bread and occasional scraps.
- She lies cheerfully about the quality of rations—insisting the school provides milk, even though Charlie has long since forged a letter to leave school.
- When Charlie claims he had lice (to explain wet hair from a night‑time theft), she immediately reaches for Lysol, prioritizing his health over interrogation.
- She secretly sews blackout curtains and maintains the flat despite bomb damage.
- She dreams of a garden with runner beans and cherry tomatoes, but never gets an allotment.
Her character is marked by practical endurance and stubborn pride. She refuses to believe that the rich get more than the poor during rationing (“Boo‑hoo to those money‑bag blokes”). She also betrays a surprising softness: she would “give anything to meet Clark Gable” and remembers pre‑war London with the muffin man and okey‑pokey ice‑cream seller. These memories are not just nostalgia; they are tools she uses to keep hope alive for both herself and Charlie.
Chronological Arc
Gran appears in only two on‑page sequences:
- Chapter 7 – “Gran” – Her daily routine and a conversation with Charlie about his wet hair, lice, school, and the war. She warns him not to go to the West End and reveals she had a tooth pulled without anesthetic due to cost.
- Chapter 40 – “Suddenly Alone” – Charlie finds her dead on the bathroom floor. The doctor’s report mentions her heart. The chapter details Charlie’s numb aftermath: the mortuary men, his gathering of her burial clothes, and his final walk away from the flat.
Between these two chapters she is referenced only in memory, as in Chapter 8 where Charlie recalls her grief after his grandfather’s death. Her burial occurs off‑page in Chapter 43, when Molly arranges for it at a church yard where Charlie’s mother and grandfather are also buried, with the cost covered by Charlie’s earnings from Molly and a boat owner.
Relationships
Gran and Charlie
The most intimate relationship in the novel. Gran is both mother and father to Charlie. She kisses his forehead each morning, cuffs his ear gently, and lies to him about the quality of their meals to spare him worry. Charlie, in turn, tries to hide his thefts and lies about attending school. Their bond is built on mutual deception born of love—each wants to shield the other from the full weight of their poverty.
Gran and the Community
After her death, neighbours cry openly. She had knitted caps and gloves for children, brought bowls of soup, shared bread from the bakery, and offered soothing hands to tired mothers. This outpouring reveals her quiet generosity and the high regard in which she was held.
Gran and Charlie’s Parents
Gran’s only direct mention of Charlie’s mother is the wistful line: “You deserve proper parents, luv.” She held a photograph of Charlie’s parents on the wall, a shrine to a family broken by war. She does not blame them—she carries the sorrow of their loss as a constant weight.
Key Decisions and Consequences
| Decision | Consequence |
|---|---|
| To keep Charlie in school despite poverty | Charlie forges a letter to leave school anyway; she never discovers his deception |
| To hide her heart condition and work until collapse | Her sudden death leaves Charlie alone at a critical moment |
| To trust Charlie’s lies about his whereabouts | She unwittingly enables his risky outings, including the bookshop theft |
| To spend her last days at the bakery rather than seek medical care | Hastens her death, but also exemplifies her selflessness |
Themes and Symbolic Connections
Gran connects to several major themes in Strangers in Time:
- War and Trauma – Gran survived the Blitz, the Bethnal Green tube disaster, and the loss of her family. Her constant cough and rheumatism are physical marks of trauma.
- Survival and Moral Compromise – She praises Charlie’s “third of a pint of milk” (a ration he likely doesn’t receive) and sells ration coupons. She bends the truth to get by.
- Class Divide and Inequality – Gran’s bitter remarks about the Savoy and the rich (“Ration the Rich” shirts) highlight the novel’s scrutiny of class privilege in wartime.
- Found Family and Resilience – Though she is blood family, Gran’s death forces Charlie to find a new family in Molly and Oliver. Her love is the foundation that makes his resilience possible.
- Espionage and Secrecy – Gran is unaware of Charlie’s theft from The Book Keep, but her ignorance mirrors the secrecy that pervades the novel. She keeps her own secrets (the pain of her tooth, the true state of her health).
5 Questions and Answers
1. What is Gran’s relationship to Charlie?
Gran is Charlie’s paternal grandmother, his only surviving guardian after his mother, father, and grandfather have all died by the time the novel begins.
2. How does Gran die?
Charlie finds her dead on the bathroom floor in Chapter 40. The doctor who examines her says she died of a heart condition. She was too frail and too poor to receive proper medical care.
3. What does Gran reveal about her tooth?
In Chapter 7, Gran mentions that she recently had a tooth pulled and did not have the money for gas or cocaine to dull the pain. The dentist pulled it for free, but she had to endure the trauma without anesthetic.
4. How does Gran feel about the rich?
Gran is openly critical of the wealthy. She mentions that East Enders wore “Ration the Rich” shirts at the Savoy and complains that people with “fancy motors” can eat at the Dorchester and go to the country for weekends while ordinary Londoners starve.
5. What does Gran do for her neighbours?
After her death, neighbours recall that she knitted caps and gloves for children, brought bowls of soup, shared crusty bread from the bakery, applied plasters to wheezy chests, and helped weary mothers with their newborns. She was deeply loved in Bethnal Green.
For a complete overview of the novel, see the Strangers in Time page. Explore related themes such as Survival and Moral Compromise and Found Family and Resilience.