# Paul — Diverging Roads character guide > Paul in Diverging Roads by Rose Wilder Lane. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Dear Paul **First appearance:** 0001-diverging-roads ## Snapshot The steady young man whose Sunday buggy invitation sends Helen's heart racing — and whose quiet constancy becomes the measure of everything she later loses. ## Who they are Paul is the suitor whose early courtship — a borrowed buggy, a rushed invitation at the woodshed door — gives Helen her first taste of being wanted. He is patient and undemonstrative, a point of security she returns to in memory when the world of sales and sharp dealing turns sour. His reliability is both his virtue and his limitation: he offers a life Helen can imagine, but not the one she eventually chases. ## Relationships ### [Louise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/louise) _romantic_ Louise and Paul share a deep, passionate romantic connection, marked by frequent interactions and emotional intensity. ### [Mrs. Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/mrs_brown) _professional_ Mrs. Brown appears to be a maternal figure or employer to Paul, with a close but possibly authoritative dynamic. ### [His Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/his_mother) _family_ His Mother is Paul's parent, with a strong familial bond evident from their frequent contact. ### [Helen Davies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/helen_davies) _social_ Helen Davies and Paul are acquaintances or friends, interacting regularly but without deep romantic or familial ties. ### [Mr. Kennedy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/mr_kennedy) _professional_ Mr. Kennedy is likely Paul's employer or mentor, with a significant professional influence over him. ### [Sara](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/sara) _friendship_ Paul and Sara are close friends, possibly with a sibling-like bond or shared history. ### [Helen Davies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/helen_davies) _social_ Helen Davies and Paul are acquaintances or friends, interacting regularly but without deep romantic or familial ties. ### [His Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/his_mother) _family_ His Mother is Paul's parent, with a strong familial bond evident from their frequent contact. ### [Louise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/louise) _romantic_ Louise and Paul share a deep, passionate romantic connection, marked by frequent interactions and emotional intensity. ### [His Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/his_mother) _family_ His Mother is Paul's parent, with a strong familial bond evident from their frequent contact. ### [Mrs. Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/mrs_brown) _professional_ Mrs. Brown appears to be a maternal figure or employer to Paul, with a close but possibly authoritative dynamic. ### [Louise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/louise) _romantic_ Louise and Paul share a deep, passionate romantic connection, marked by frequent interactions and emotional intensity. ## In the story ### [Diverging Roads](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/diverging-roads) Visits Helen in San Francisco, hoping to persuade her to return to Masonville. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/i) A hardworking, ambitious boy who has secured a job at the depot and is learning telegraphy. He is considerate of Helen's feelings and offers to give up the valedictorian honor. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/ii) Sends a note via Sammy Harner announcing he has a new job and must leave for Ripley that night, asking Helen to meet him. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/iii) Paul meets Helen at the bridge to say goodbye before leaving for a job in Ripley. They share a tender, tearful moment. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/iv) Helen broods over his photograph, which she had taken in Ripley, and relies on the thought of him as her one clear reality. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/v) Writes to Helen that he is coming to Sacramento for a day, planning to help his mother move to Ripley. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/vi) Spends the day with Helen, proposes marriage on the boat, and leaves her at dawn, worried and self-reproachful. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/vii) Helen sends him a telegram from the station, spending part of her borrowed money to do so. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/viii) Helen thinks of Paul while writing a letter and imagines describing her new experiences to him. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/ix) Writes Helen a letter criticizing her new friends and lifestyle, urging her to be more restrained. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/x) Visits Helen, expresses concern about their engagement and her changes, but fails to bridge the growing gap between them. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xi) Helen's former suitor from Masonville. Now working in Ripley, he meets Helen for lunch, and their conversation reveals the emotional distance between them and Helen's dissatisfaction with her life. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xii) Not present in this chapter. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xv) Helen's former love, now living in Ripley, shows concern for Helen's condition and offers help, but she rebuffs his sympathy. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xvii) Returns to Helen, confessing his love and his inability to forget her; he is torn by guilt over Bert but hopeful for a future together. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xviii) Thought of by Helen after she quits; she considers telephoning him to visit and making a peach shortcake for him. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xix) Paul visits Helen, enjoying a joyful day with her but becomes concerned when she reveals she quit her job and later learns Bert has returned. ### [A New Beginning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xx) Helen thinks of Paul and writes him a tender letter, but avoids sharing her difficulties to spare him worry. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xxi) Visits Helen in San Francisco, upset she didn't tell him about her move; tries to persuade her to come to Ripley. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xxii) Receives Helen's phone call and joyfully agrees to her visit. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xxiii) Shows pride in his new car and tries to shape Helen into his ideal wife, unaware of her inner turmoil. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/chapters/xxiv) Helen writes him a farewell letter; she thinks of him and hopes he will forget her. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters/paul - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/diverging_roads_se/characters