Characterization Of Tangerine

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The novel, Tangerine, is a book waiting to be discovered. It is full of surprises and drama. The main character, Paul, has a very interesting life before and after moving to Tangerine, Florida. Paul has problems with his vision and has to wear thick coke bottle glasses so he can see. Paul and his family move to a town in Florida called Tangerine. His father and brother arrive in Tangerine before him and his mother. Once Paul and his mother arrive, they get settled in. Paul and his older brother Erik have somethings in common, like how they play a sport. Erik plays football while Paul plays soccer. Throughout the book, Paul realizes that Erik is a troubled child but his parents do not realize that Erik is a troubled child. In the novel, Tangerine, …show more content…

“ I scrambled back up. I left my bike there, it’s wheels spinning, and ran for home. I ran in absolute terror, listening for the sound of the car squealing back around to come after me again. I burst through the front door, crying hysterically. My goggles were twisted back around my head. I spun around and around looking for Mom. The Mom and Dad were both in front of me, holding on to my shoulders, trying to calm me down, trying to understand the words that I was saying over and over. I was ‘Erik.’ I was saying ‘Erik.’ Dad finally understood. He looked right away into my eyes and asked. ‘What do you mean by ‘Erik’? Erik what, Paul?’ I stammered out, ‘ Erik. He tried to kill me.’” This quote was from the flashback on pages 2 and 3. “ And I remember Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them.” This quote was from the flashback on pages 263 and 264. The flashbacks mean that Paul has a dysfunctional relationship with his family. Flashbacks enhance the story by making the story more dramatic and surprising. After Erik and Vincent sprayed paint into Paul’s eyes, Paul’s mom tried to do something to help him and after that Paul’s dysfunctional family decided to lie about how he is legally blind or never tell him how he is legally