The book Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, is about a kid named Paul who has moved to Tangerine County, has a passion for soccer, and has glasses with a mysterious background. His brother, Erik, is a football star and adored by all, but Paul is terrified of him. Paul makes many choices throughout the book that cause him to change and grow. Paul’s symbolic funeral for Luis and his flashback about what caused his eyesight allowed him to become confident both inside and out. Paul’s symbolic funeral for Luis allowed him to become confident on the outside. After Luis dies Paul decides to mourn him by putting on a suit, digging to the dirt in his backyard, putting his face …show more content…
Paul was suddenly dragged back into one of his flashbacks again after seeing the wall in his backyard. He finally found out what the cause of his eyesight was and was forever changed by this new information. Paul gained the confidence to confront his parents, “So you figured it would be better if I just hated myself?” (265) He finally got the information and satisfaction that he needed and could at last tell Joey, “I’m more than all right. Finally.” (265) Paul’s eyesight constantly diminished his self perception over the course of the book. He is made fun of by his brother, Erik, and is even kicked off the soccer team because of insurance issues involving him being classified as legally blind. He is unhappy with himself and just wants to know the truth about what really happened to him. He knows that his parents know what happened but will not tell him. This epiphany in Paul’s life finally allows him to see the truth and after figuring out this mysterious event from the past he can finally accept himself for who he is. He no longer feels strange, hopeless, or lost because of this revelation and it allows him to gain the courage to confront his parents and finally get the information that he needed out of them to feel okay. Paul becoming confident with himself was caused by his flashback to the cause of his