Coming of Age; Historical Fiction; Family Drama
Coming of Age
Often, coming of age stories follow a character from childhood through to adulthood. But Paperboy takes place over the course of just one summer—and yet it is definitely a coming of age story because it describes how Victor starts growing up.
During his paper route, Victor sees the world outside his limited social bubble and begins to understand adult problems, like Mam having to face discrimination based on her skin color and Mrs. Worthington drinking herself into a stupor because of her failing marriage. He also becomes more sure of himself, and although he doesn't fix his stutter, Victor learns to be less self-conscious about it. His stutter's a part of him, and making peace with this helps him overcome his fear of being made fun of, a key step in coming into his own.
Historical Fiction
Because Paperboy is set in 1959, it provides a glimpse into what it was like to live in Memphis right in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. Even though Victor isn't personally involved in a lot of the racial changes that are taking place (after all, he's just a kid who is more focused on his own life and problems), he still sees how Mam is treated differently because she's black, and at the end of the book, he overhears Rat's mother complaining about how they're starting to integrate the schools. Through Victor's eyes, we get to a glimpse of life during these changing times.
Family Drama
There's a lot of family tension simmering beneath the surface in Paperboy, especially when it comes to Victor and his father. Even though Victor is really close to his dad (more so than he is with his mother), when he finds his birth certificate in their bedroom, he is thrown into a world of confusion. He learns that the man he considers his dad isn't his biological father, and he has to wrestle with the implications of this revelation.
In the end, though, Victor decides to embrace his family as it is. His dad has always been a real dad to him, and he wouldn't want anything to be different. For more on why this matters, swing by the "Symbols" section to read up on the birth certificate.