''Paul is alone in the world'' is clearly a work of a child's psychologist because throughout the book we can see that it was written by somebody familiar with children's desires. There isn't a kid in this world that didn't want to peak into the grownup's world for just a brief second.
The story has a realistic beginning. The boy Paul woke up and realized he was home alone but that didn't distract him. His situation is similar to the situation many kids find themselves in today.
The plot twists when he went outside to look for him parents and realized he was all alone. He embraced the loneliness and started taking everything he wanted because there was no one who could stop or punish him. Paul realized the value of money and when he went to the bank all of the money was his. He saw that he couldn't give it to anyone so he started throwing it around.
Paul wanted a friend he could play with because he was to lonely. He came to a park where he used to play with his friends but it was empty. After that he wanted to watch a movie because he thought he would be less lonely but there was nobody to play the movie for him. Also he began to fell hungry but there was nobody to cook some food.
He wasn't a happy boy anymore. Sadness and loneliness took over him. Paul drove a car and traveled the whole Earth by plane, hoping he'll find somebody. The ending is to be expected. Paul wakes up next to his mother and acknowledges that everything was a dream. The moral of the story is that, next to parents, everykid should have friends to fill his life with joy.
Summary
It was morning and Paul woke up. He searched his whole apartment but couldn't find his parents. The boy wasn't worried about them but it was strange to him that they left him all alone.
After he washed up and put some clothes on, he decided to go out onto the street. He was thrilled that there wasn't anyone to tell him not to go out alone. He was surprised when he didn't run into anyone on the street. He was actually all alone in the whole world.
He went to the pastry shop and took some chocolate and in the nearby fruit shop he ate some bananas. He took two oranges with him even though he knew stealing was bad. He was alone in the world and there wasn't anyone who could stop him or punish him so he could take whatever he wanted.
He started using the city transportation and drove the buses himself. He enjoyed the complete freedom until he had to slow down because there was another bus in front of him. He just boarded the other bus and drove it.
After the fun ride he headed towards the bank. He took a bag of money to buy everything he needs. Paul had nobody to give the money to because there were no cashiers so he started throwing it around the street.
While he was strolling through the city he saw a red fire truck and decided to take it for a spin. He drove to a park where he used to play with his friends. Even though it was forbidden to walk on the grass he walked over it and sat on the swings. None of it was fun for him because he had no friends. That was the first time he regretted being the only human in the world.
Because he had no friends he decided to go to the cinema and watch a movie but there was no one to play it for him. A lot of time passed since he had his last meal so he got hungry. He went to a hotel's kitchen but there was nobody to cook anything for him. He tried to cook but he failed.
He hated being alone so he drove himself to an airport and boarded a plane. He flew high and then he seemed to have hit the Moon. He started falling towards the Earth. He started screaming and then he realized it was all a dream. His mother was by his side when he started crying and he told her all about his dream.
Genre: children's story
Time: unspecified
Place: unknown city
Charachters: Paul and his mother
Charachter analysis
Paul – the main character of the story. In the beginning we see he knows how to wash up and dress up on his own so we could estimate he already goes to school or is about to go to school. He was brave and not even a bit afraid when he realized he was without his parents. He liked the fact that he could go out to the street and do whatever he wants. Even though he knew the rules of proper conduct nothing stopped him for doing what he wants and disobey the rules. He drove cars, fire truck and enjoyed freedom. When he tried everything he wanted Paul got sad because he was alone. Then he established the fact that nothing can replace his family and friends.
Mother – she appears at the end of the story. When she heard her son crying she ran up to his room. She consoled him after he woke up from his bad dream.
About the author: Jens Sigsgaard
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