# Paul Riesling — Babbitt character guide > Paul Riesling in Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Paul, Riesling, Mr. Riesling **First appearance:** 0000-chapter-i ## Snapshot Babbitt's oldest friend, a sensitive, worn-down businessman who plays violin in private and endures a marriage that has hollowed him out. ## Who they are Paul is the one person Babbitt can talk to without performing, and their yearly escapes together are the closest thing either man has to joy. Trapped with the shrewish Zilla, he drifts into a furtive affair with a flabby, flirtatious woman in an atrocious hat, and Babbitt watches him with a mixture of loyalty, pity, and dread. Paul's quiet desperation is the mirror in which Babbitt first sees his own. ## Relationships ### [George F. Babbitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/george_f_babbitt) _friendship_ George's closest friend and confidant, representing his longing for a more authentic and artistic life, but their bond is strained by Paul's unhappy marriage and eventual tragedy. ### [Zilla Riesling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/zilla_riesling) _family_ A deeply unhappy and abusive marriage where Zilla's constant criticism and control drive Paul to desperation and ultimately to violence. ### [George F. Babbitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/george_f_babbitt) _friendship_ George's closest friend and confidant, representing his longing for a more authentic and artistic life, but their bond is strained by Paul's unhappy marriage and eventual tragedy. ### [George F. Babbitt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/george_f_babbitt) _friendship_ George's closest friend and confidant, representing his longing for a more authentic and artistic life, but their bond is strained by Paul's unhappy marriage and eventual tragedy. ### [Zilla Riesling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/zilla_riesling) _family_ A deeply unhappy and abusive marriage where Zilla's constant criticism and control drive Paul to desperation and ultimately to violence. ### [Zilla Riesling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/zilla_riesling) _family_ A deeply unhappy and abusive marriage where Zilla's constant criticism and control drive Paul to desperation and ultimately to violence. ## In the story ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Babbitt's closest friend; they arrange a lunch meeting via a brief, understated phone call. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as the confidant to whom Babbitt explains his ethical compromises in real estate. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as the person Babbitt looks forward to lunching with. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-v) Confides his marital troubles with Zilla and his longing to escape; agrees to the Maine trip plan. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Opens up about his miserable marriage to Zilla and his longing for a different life; suggests they go to Maine early. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-vi) Mentioned as the friend with whom Babbitt hopes to escape to Maine. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Mentioned in Babbitt's thoughts; Babbitt feels sorry for him and compares himself to others. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Babbitt's old friend; remembered fondly as a refuge during Babbitt's youth. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-vii) Mentioned as the person Babbitt had lunch with, which interfered with his diet. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as the person Babbitt had lunch with. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned by Myra as a potential companion for Babbitt's trip to Maine. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-x) Endures Zilla's abuse; admits to having affairs; is defended by Babbitt and agrees to go to Maine. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Endures Zilla's abuse and finally confesses to infidelity, showing his desperation. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Acts as a calming influence on Babbitt, preventing him from overspending, though he too lightens up during the shopping. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Travels with Babbitt, initially aloof from the group, but joins the business talk. He makes an aesthetic comment about a steel mill, which is met with confusion. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xi) Paul becomes clear-eyed and merry after the vacation begins, but shows distress at the sight of an ocean liner in New York, revealing his unfulfilled desires. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Wants to see a liner but becomes deeply upset and emotional upon seeing the Aquitania. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Accompanies Babbitt to Maine and shares in the quiet contemplation, remarking on the eternal quality of the scene. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Accompanies Babbitt to Maine, wears an old gray suit, shares tobacco with Babbitt, and shares a moment of silent understanding. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Finds solace in the trip, shares intimate thoughts about his marriage and musical aspirations, and expresses gratitude to Babbitt for the escape. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Paul becomes clear-eyed and merry, acting as nurse to the increasingly irritable Babbitt. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xii) Mentioned as a companion for long talks at the Athletic Club. ### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xiv) Attends Babbitt's campaign speech in South Zenith with his wife Zilla, expressing admiration for Babbitt's stamina. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Attends the rally with Babbitt and compliments his speech. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xv) Attends the class dinner but feels out of place; Babbitt tries to cheer him up and keep him involved. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Glum and withdrawn at the dinner, troubled by a run-in with his wife Zilla. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xvi) Paul provides Babbitt with a respite from maturity through golf, motoring, and violin playing. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Babbitt's friend; they escape maturity together weekly through golf, motoring, and music; Paul plays violin, revealing his dark soul. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xix) Found in Chicago with a woman named May Arnold, lying to Babbitt about being in Akron; his behavior disturbs Babbitt. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/v) Found dining with Mrs. Arnold in Chicago, though he was supposed to be in Akron; appears troubled and evasive. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xx) Returns from Akron, admits to an affair with May Arnold, and expresses despair over his marriage to Zilla. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Confides in Babbitt about his affair with May Arnold and his troubled marriage to Zilla, becomes defensive and angry. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Returns from Akron; goes out with the Babbitts and Zilla, then privately tells Babbitt he feels nothing is left and he wants to break away from Zilla. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxi) Mentioned at the end of the chapter; has shot his wife Zilla and is in jail. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxii) Imprisoned for shooting his wife Zilla; initially refuses to see Babbitt but later accepts his comfort; pleads guilty and is sentenced to three years. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) In prison after shooting Zilla; initially refuses to see Babbitt, then speaks with him, shows remorse and confusion. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Expected to be the subject of gossip, but is not mentioned. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Tried and sentenced to three years in the State Penitentiary for shooting Zilla; taken away undramatically. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxiii) Mentioned in Babbitt's thoughts; his imprisonment haunts Babbitt's sense of freedom. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Babbitt thinks of Paul in prison, imagining him in a jailbird's uniform, and admits he wants Paul's presence more than anything. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iv) Thought of by Babbitt during the party, associated with a shadowy place where men never dance. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxiv) Seen in prison, pale and expressionless, working in the tailor shop, already dead in spirit. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/i) Imprisoned, wearing a gray uniform, pale and expressionless; speaks only of getting used to prison life and working in the tailor shop. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/chapter-xxv) Absent but central to Babbitt's thoughts; Babbitt seeks his spirit in Maine, imagining him playing violin in the canoe; Paul's imprisonment and absence drive Babbitt's rebellion. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as a memory; Babbitt imagines his presence playing violin in the canoe. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as the imprisoned husband; Babbitt hopes to secure his pardon through Zilla. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters/paul_riesling - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/babbitt_se/characters