Paper Moon

I am now reading a book called “Paper Moon”. It is about Addie Pray, an orphan who rides around with her “daddy”, also known as Long Boy and “does business”.  They cheat people out of their money for a living. But at one stop, Long Boy winds up in suspicion for the illegal transporting of alcohol. Addie does not realize how she has been changed by this business of hers and how it could change how successful she will become.

Addie and Long Boy do awfully well with their business. They can pick up 600 dollars at a time! But did Long Boy ever consider the future of Addie?  She is so used to business by age 11, once she is off on her own, it will be the only thing she knows. But this could hurt poor Addie. She needs to know that there is more to do in life than steal people’s money without them knowing. She is living on risk, and that is not healthy for a person, let alone a child of only 11. I hope that Long Boy will change his ways, as he seems like a good role model, but he is teaching little Addie to lie and cheat for money. I do not think this is right.

When Long Boy gets caught trying to exchange whiskey during the alcohol ban, he is charged for transporting illegal goods.  This could make not only him, but also Addie realize that this is a risky business, and as Addie grows up, she is liable to be caught in deep trouble. Because of this possibility, it is not healthy for her to keep living like this. This business is Long Boy’s only job that he must continue with. But Addie, she has potential. She is uneducated, but it is not too late for school, and she is very smart. But once she is alone in the world with no skills except robbing people of their money, this business is what she may naturally do. Addie may be benefited by this experience of being in trouble for doing business. Many people today are in this difficult situation as well. People with not a lot of money do not often get a good education because of the state of their neighborhood schools. Not getting a good education can lead to getting a low-paying job and that person’s kids will be stuck with the same ill-fortune. They are stuck in a poverty loop just because they were raised as so.

Without realizing it, Long Boy has been halting Addie’s chance of success as an adult by allowing her to help him do business. If he had or began to expose her to the life of a more fair businessperson or put her in school, she would be more likely to become successful and be in much less risk of going to prison.  She could have most certainly benefited from an education, but by getting caught, she and Long Boy are both learning how different their lives should be.