Anansi Boys

“Fat Charlie” is the protagonist of Anansi Boys, a Black man who immigrated from America during his childhood and grew up in England. Unbeknownst to him, he’s also the son of the trickster god Anansi. His name is a misnomer because he was only fat very briefly, but the nickname clung to him throughout his life. It’s this relationship with the nickname his father gave him that opens his understanding to The Power of Names. By the end of the story, he reclaims his own name as he comes into his heritage and power.

At the beginning of the story, Fat Charlie is a classic everyman character: generally good but flawed, caring but juvenile, unambitious and not always aware of the feelings of others. He dislikes his boss, Grahame Coats, but cannot see the true extent of Grahame Coats’s criminal practices. He is passive and allows life to happen to him rather than taking proactive action, which we see in his childhood experiences with his father, his stagnant career, and his early meetings with Spider. When his weak attempts to dislodge Spider from his life fail, he makes his first real proactive action in going to his elders for help and subsequently making a deal with the Bird Woman.