During his summer of self-discovery in Paperboy, Victor encounters a man named Mr. Spiro who is seriously eccentric. Mr. Spiro lives in a world of books—he's constantly reading and talking about all the interesting literary and historical things he knows. Victor is fascinated by his wealth of knowledge and decides that he wants to be that smart, too, and that he's going to do all of the reading and thinking necessary to get there. By the end of the summer, Victor emerges as a poet, a reader, and most importantly, as a seeker of the truth.
Questions About Wisdom and Knowledge
- How does Mr. Spiro change Victor's views on reading and learning? How does this change Victor?
- Why is Mr. Spiro always reading? What sorts of things is he interested in? Where does his thirst for knowledge come from?
- What does Victor learn about his own family over the course of the summer? How about himself?
Chew on This
By spending time with Mr. Spiro, Victor learns that reading isn't just some boring thing teachers force upon students—it's also a means of getting to know the world and expanding your horizons.
Even though it's painful, Mam is glad to learn that Ara T did kill her brother and that it wasn't an accident. This knowledge helps her find some kind of resolution with this horrible chapter of her life.