Period 8 Paul Bum Character Traits
School can take an enormous toll. With stress and anxiety, students almost never get a chance to just sit and relax. However, in the book Period 8, one can hang out, eat lunch and just talk. Almost nothing is off limits. Period 8 is a time of day in school where students can feel safe and comfort. The main character is a high school senior named Paul Baum. He is a guy who really wants to do the right thing, but ends up getting mixed up in both external and internal conflicts. He is committed to living a respected life, yet his choices are questioned. Paul Baum is a dynamic character, who undergoes various changes throughout the story. Throughout the novel Period 8 Paul presents himself as conscientious, caring and problem solving. Paul is
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He is a very jolly and optimistic person, even though he was the one who introduced the problem in the first place. After cheating on his girl friend, Paul immediately begins to regret his choices. After Mary, the girl who Paul cheated with, suddenly goes missing, Paul begins searching. Him and everyone in his period 8 class agree that there is something shady going on. Paul beings to question others and takes note and makes predictions to where Mary might have disappeared to. When Mary returns, she says “I only needed time alone just to think by myself” (112). Paul and the other students don’t buy it, and think that there is much more that they don’t know, and that this was only the surface. Towards the end of the novel, after Mary's disappearance, Paul becomes a much more caring and friendly person. Lastly, Paul is a character who is willing to get his hands dirty. He is a problem solver, and has the ability and resources to uncover the mystery completely. After Mary’s reappearance, he starts to question her thought and see if she's actually telling the truth. Little does paulie know that, that his problem solving characteristic is only the beginning of more problems. His resilience kept him going and is how Paul was able to turn the lights on not just the secret of Mary’s disappearance but many other crimes that were taking place under their
He is a very jolly and optimistic person, even though he was the one who introduced the problem in the first place. After cheating on his girl friend, Paul immediately begins to regret his choices. After Mary, the girl who Paul cheated with, suddenly goes missing, Paul begins searching. Him and everyone in his period 8 class agree that there is something shady going on. Paul beings to question others and takes note and makes predictions to where Mary might have disappeared to. When Mary returns, she says “I only needed time alone just to think by myself” (112). Paul and the other students don’t buy it, and think that there is much more that they don’t know, and that this was only the surface. Towards the end of the novel, after Mary's disappearance, Paul becomes a much more caring and friendly person. Lastly, Paul is a character who is willing to get his hands dirty. He is a problem solver, and has the ability and resources to uncover the mystery completely. After Mary’s reappearance, he starts to question her thought and see if she's actually telling the truth. Little does paulie know that, that his problem solving characteristic is only the beginning of more problems. His resilience kept him going and is how Paul was able to turn the lights on not just the secret of Mary’s disappearance but many other crimes that were taking place under their