A man is unsettled, always angry, awash in a world where slings and arrows are constant and unyielding, and in him mind, none of it is his fault. More emotional than intellectual, something deep inside motivates his peevishness and there is nothing casual in his belligerence–it is honest, heartfelt, and destructive.
Psychology can try to explain, and it does briefly, here. But seeing the circumstances provides clarity, perhaps more than we have bargained for. Paul is only five years old, but the insistent indoctrination being pushed on him by the civilization he never asked to be part of seems to be telling him to behave, to stay in line, despite the barrage of injustices that splash him in the face ad infinitum. He is too young to understand why it is happening, and he can only draw on his feral nature to combat against it.
A stuffed bear bears the brunt of young Paul’s response, a stand-in for the forces that are not only immovable, but beyond his comprehension. Only George, the “infernal turtle”, receives the boy’s affection (and of course his mother, a return to the womb providing safety from the barbaric world).
No magic wands exist in this world. Growth is inevitable, but the definition of growth does not infer goodness. For Paul, the inevitability of the harsh world is hardly his own fault, but is there anyone else to blame?
