The Effects of Erik on Paul
Everyone has a reason to not like their sibling in some way, but Paul from the book Tangerine by Edward Bloor has reasons to trump all others. Paul’s older brother, Erik, has done many horrible things to Paul over Paul’s lifetime that contribute to how Paul acts and thinks. Erik’s choices impact Paul by making him not able to see very well, making Paul see himself as an idiot and coward, and damaging his friendships. First, Erik’s choices have caused Paul to not see very well. Towards the end of the book, Erik reveals that his prior actions are the reason why Paul now has his coke-bottle glasses. “And I remembered Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them” (Bloor 264). The reason that Erik did this to Paul is because he thought that Paul had told someone that he and Vincent Castor had spray painted the gray wall. Paul reacted by angrily confirming this event with his parents, bringing Paul some much needed closure about his poor eyesight. …show more content…
In the very beginning of the book, Erik makes Paul look like a fool by mentioning how Paul stared at an eclipse. “He was standing at the front of the school-bus line with his fifth-grade friends when one of them turned, made a gesture, and called up to me, ‘Hey, Eclipse Boy, how many fingers am I holding up?’” (Bloor 34). The reason Erik did this was to draw negative attention to Paul while simultaneously covering up what really happened to Paul’s eyes. At the time of this event, Paul did not know what Erik or his friends were talking about, but as time goes on, Paul gets more and more suspicious about if the truth about his vision is being hidden from
Everyone has a reason to not like their sibling in some way, but Paul from the book Tangerine by Edward Bloor has reasons to trump all others. Paul’s older brother, Erik, has done many horrible things to Paul over Paul’s lifetime that contribute to how Paul acts and thinks. Erik’s choices impact Paul by making him not able to see very well, making Paul see himself as an idiot and coward, and damaging his friendships. First, Erik’s choices have caused Paul to not see very well. Towards the end of the book, Erik reveals that his prior actions are the reason why Paul now has his coke-bottle glasses. “And I remembered Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them” (Bloor 264). The reason that Erik did this to Paul is because he thought that Paul had told someone that he and Vincent Castor had spray painted the gray wall. Paul reacted by angrily confirming this event with his parents, bringing Paul some much needed closure about his poor eyesight. …show more content…
In the very beginning of the book, Erik makes Paul look like a fool by mentioning how Paul stared at an eclipse. “He was standing at the front of the school-bus line with his fifth-grade friends when one of them turned, made a gesture, and called up to me, ‘Hey, Eclipse Boy, how many fingers am I holding up?’” (Bloor 34). The reason Erik did this was to draw negative attention to Paul while simultaneously covering up what really happened to Paul’s eyes. At the time of this event, Paul did not know what Erik or his friends were talking about, but as time goes on, Paul gets more and more suspicious about if the truth about his vision is being hidden from