(page 12) This infers that Paul is scared of Erik. In conclusion, Paul doesn’t want Erik to hurt him, so he stays in his room all day avoiding Erik. Erik calls Paul Eclipse Boy because Paul believe he lost his eye
Eriks choices impact Paul majorly by, making him legally blind, lowering his self esteem, and killing his best friend. A choice made by Erik affects paul by making him legally blind. A while back when they still lived in Houston, Erik had a friend named Caster his previous “partner in crime” (Bloor 73). And one day, Paul got accused by Erik and Castor of snitching on them for spraying painting a wall, but Paul wasn't the one who snitched.
“Don’t judge a book by its’ cover.” Have you ever heard that phrase? It means that looks can be deceiving, and while one thing might look fine the inside/content could be truly terrible. Edward Bloor’s character, Erik in the novel, Tangerine is similar in that fashion. Choices that Erik make, not only affect him they also affect Paul,( the main character).
Tangerine by Edward Bloor, has shown the reader many complicated real life scenarios or issues that people may and commonly face in real life. Will Erik ever realize how good of a kid Paul is? Will he decide to take after him? Or will he stay the same and continue to cause trouble for not only himself but others too? These are all questions us readers will never know but can picture solutions to
He will probably never set foot again. But mom would never understand that. For Joey, our house may as well be covered with canvas and bound by ropes, because it’s filled with poison.” (Bloor 145) Erik’s choice has obviously made some impact on Paul’s friendship with
The first big choice that Erik made that affected Paul was when he hit Tino in the face.(205) “Immediately, faster than I thought he could, faster than Tino thought he could, Erik lashed out, smashing the back of his hand across Tino’s face, smashing him so hard that Tino spun halfway around in the air and landed on the grass. Erik did this because Tino made fun of him and he got angry. This affected Paul because he didn't do anything, it made him feel small. Paul says, “ I just stared back at her, paralyzed with fear, while the scene rolled on.”(204) This shows that Paul knew Erik was going to do something bad, he did nothing.
The most important way Erik impacts Paul is he causes Paul’s life to become full of constant fear and anxiety. This is proven by Bloor when his character Paul states, “I have always been afraid of Erik” (42). Paul has been afraid of Erik his entire life, as Bloor indicates by this quote. The quote also gives the reason why Paul tries to avoid Erik, and sets up the
Erik’s father was so into the “Erik fisher football dream” that he did not realize that Erik is the reason that Paul is halfway blind. Erik thought that Paul told on his friend and he got in trouble “ You’re going to have to pay for telling on Castor. You told who sprayed paint on the wall, and Castor got into trouble. Castor doesn’t like getting into trouble….. And I remember Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them.”
Would you survive living in this erratic town? Since the beginning of the story, Edward Bloor has depicted Erik Fisher as the self-indulgent, antagonist in the novel. Paul Fisher, the protagonist, is much more caring and kind compared to his immoral and dishonorable brother. Bloor reveals Erik’s dissolute characteristics by showing his actions after Mike Costello’s death.
I didn’t know how to describe the harm he would do to me.” (38). If I was ever threatened like Erik does to Paul, I wouldn’t have the guts to say anything either.
This passage proves how selfless Paul is and how he is the complete opposite of his malicious brother Erik, who wouldn’t hesitate to run and save his own life. Paul is always the one to stay behind and help because he is a strong moraled person. Paul 's neighborhood and school settings contribute to the novels’ motif of natural disasters, for lightning strikes and sinkholes are a constant threat. Case in point, daily lightning strikes
Imagine moving away from home, changing schools, and having a family that won’t even give attention when needed. Paul goes through all of this, and he is left to make decisions that will change his life forever. Three choices Paul goes through are, changing schools, tattling on Tangerine Middle School soccer players, and informing the police about Arthur and Erik’s wrong doings. In the novel, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul moves from Houston Texas to Tangerine Florida, and the first five months are filled with decisions and chaos. The choices made by Paul, and the consequences of those choices, affect the development of his character.
Erik is very rude, disrespectful, dissolute, sneaky, and egocentric, versus his brother being very kind and caring to others. Erik’s actions of evil traits are ongoing, but definitely more pronounced by his actions after Mike Costello’s death. “I carried my bags of groceries on into the kitchen and set them down. Then I heard a strange sound. It was the sound of voices in the backyard.
Bergson’s comment, “What life and society require of each of us is a constantly alert attention... to enable us to adapt ourselves in consequence” (7), brings the reader’s attention to human survival. Gary Larson’s comedic reflections strive to make his artwork, funny, yet mindful of their surroundings. Drawing after drawing, Larson exposes the familiar conclusion that man is his own worst enemy. Bergson’s reflection explains that “natural consequences bring their own penalties… simply exposes himself to man’s curiosity”
Around the same section, Erik says the name “Castor” which triggers a memory Paul had blocked for a long time, the truth behind his visual impairment and that Erik was at fault for it. This led to Paul accepting it was not his fault and he finally stopped blaming himself for it. In conclusion, Paul started off as a wimpy, fearful kid who ended up finding a lot about himself and turned out a strong, independent young man. He had an incredible arch of character development throughout the entire novel, with changes in himself and the outside of him.
