Charlie Bucktin is the first-person narrator of the novel. He is a teenage boy whose main psychological tasks are to discard his fears, grow in maturity, and gain the courage to act on his conscience. One of the defining characteristics of Charlie throughout the novel is his inability to do things on his own. Instead, he clings to other people and relies on the judgments of others to know what to do at any given moment. When Jasper comes to his window and asks for help, Charlie follows him even though he does not really know him except by his reputation. He needs a strong person to cling to, and he wants to glean courage from Jasper. When he watches people being mistreated, such as Mr. and Mrs. Lu, instead of helping them, he either gets his father to help them or becomes angry that nobody defends them. He takes very little responsibility for himself. When he goes in the water after Jasper at the end of the novel, he realizes that Jasper is afraid just like everybody else, and this finally allows him the courage to stand on his own. After this moment, he is able to take responsibility for his own actions and is comfortable making his own decisions when Jasper leaves town.