The novel, Life Class by Pat Barker is the book I have chosen to read and comment- e novel is set in the spring of 1914, with a group of students at the Slade School of Art. Among the class is Paul Tarrant, an easily distracted by a fellow classmate, Elinor Brooke. Paul is first introduced to us while storming out of his College life class. Frustrated with the fact that his drawings will never be good enough. Before storming out of his class, Paul makes one last remark: “ If, I knew how to draw I wouldn’t need to be here at all, would I ” (6). This smart- aleck response is one of the first bursts herd from Paul. Obviously feeling he can do no more Paul dashes out of the room, leaving a confused professor and students behind. Further into the novel Paul runs into Elinor Brooke: “ with her copper hair and straight shoulders she looked like a young soldier striding along” (16). Paul also makes similar remarks when he met the lovely Teresa, a model at Slade: “ she was dark, with short, shinny hair, high cheekbones, and red, painted, pouting lips”(18). After seeing Paul with different women it became apparent that he was some-what if a womanizer. Whenever Paul is in the presence of women he seems to focus on their looks instead of trying to get-to-know them. I think it will be interesting to find out where this attitude of his takes him, later in the novel.
Pat Barker has done a great job of developing the character of Paul. She uses setting and other characters to develop his character. Paul was first introduced to us through setting. In his art class, one is able to see a normal day in the life of Paul. The reader observes his surroundings and the ways in which he interacts around others. I hope that the reader to come will prove to be similar.
2 comments:
Paul's frustration is something we all run into everyday. This is just an exmaple of how some people cope with their problems. It is very common for a person to run away from a situation when angry, like Paul did when he stormed out of the art room. Good quote analysis!
I think that you did a great job of analyzing our first introduction to Paul and we learn a lot about him in these first pages. I think this first part, espacially in his relationship with Elinor, does a great job forshadowing the types of relationships he will develop through the book. Good Job.
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