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Paul In Tangerine

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Do you ever feel like you’re not good enough? In the novel Tangerine, written by Edward Bloor, Paul starts out as an antisocial kid who feels voiceless and impotent making him vulnerable to Erik, his older brother, who bullies him. Throughout the novel Paul is continuously bullied by Erik, who always gets away with it, making Paul feel inarticulate and disenfranchised.

One of the many things Paul has trouble with his being heard. For instance, in the beginning of the novel Paul has a flashback and says, ““It was Erik”I was saying “Erik.” Dad finally understood me.[...] “Erik. He tried to kill me.” [...] Then she said, “ Honey, you know it is with your eyesight. You know you can’t see very well.”” (pg.3 and 4)Throughout the story, Paul continously …show more content…
When Paul sees Arthur and Erik walking up to Luis with bats, he says, “I understood that I was supposed to be terrified by this spectacle—these two demonic creatures on this dark, lonely road. But for once in my life, I wasn't.” Paul says he isn’t afraid of Erik and Arthur but isn’t quite sure why. After moving to Lake Windsor Downs, Paul makes many friends, like Joey, who stand by him and support. The support of his friends boosted his confidence which allowed him to realize he had a right to be heard. After remembering what happened to his eyes, he confronted his parents about all of the times he told them about Erik hurting him and them never listening to him and believing him. With the support of his friends, he also stands up to Erik. Paul mentions through the story that he is terrified by Erik and he never does anything to stop him. Paul never tries to stop him because Erik is older and is the “poster” child and he believes no one will believe him. Near the end of the book, after Arthur and Erik hit Luis, Paul realizes how pathetic they are and that they will get what they deserve so he confronts and exposes them making him feel relieved and confident in himself.

As previously stated, Paul had a lot of trouble with feeling voiceless and defenseless making him antisocial and depressed. Paul was only able to face his fears with the help and support of his

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