Tangerine By Edward Bloor: Character Analysis

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"In the end that was the choice you made, and it doesn't matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did." (Cassandra Clare) In the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul's parents make many decisions that affected Paul's life. From moving to Tangerine, being inattentive towards Paul, and to having secrets kept from him, you could tell Paul Fisher has a pretty crazy life. Those decisions were made by his parents. However, those decisions that his parents made has molded Paul into a stronger person.

In the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul and his family had moved to Tangerine County. This decision affected Paul in different ways. There were many things wrong with Tangerine County. There would be muck fires and sinkholes. Things
That had happened because of a traumatizing experience when he was in kindergarten. His brother, Erik, and Erik's friend, Vincent, had sprayed Paul's eyes with white paint. (Pg. 264) Before Paul had remembered that incident, Paul had always thought he was foolish. On page 35 it explains why he thought he was irrelevant. It says "I was the boy who had not listened and who was now paying the price." That shows that Paul had always thought low of himself because his parents never told him the truth. This decision made Paul feel weak and miserable because he had always thought it was his fault. On page 265 Paul gets his parents to admit what had actually happened to make him blind. They said they didn't tell him the truth because they didn't want him to hate his brother. What Paul mentions was quite sad. He said,"So you figured it would be better if I just hated myself". (265) In that scene, his mom and dad both broke down crying. All along, Paul had felt guilt in himself for something he hadn't done.

In conclusion, the choices made by Paul's parents in the novel Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, affected Paul in several ways. The decisions they made included moving to Tangerine County, being neglectful towards Paul, and being dishonest when it comes to the truth of Paul’s blindness. Although some of their decisions influenced him severely, at the end, Paul became stronger and

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