# Paul Watkins — Oil! character guide > Paul Watkins in Oil! by Upton Sinclair. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Paul, Watkins, V Paul, Paul Watkins of Paradise **First appearance:** 0001-oil ## Who they are A poor preacher's son turned oil-field hand and organizer, whose fierce intelligence and stubborn decency make him the conscience Bunny keeps trying to ignore. ## Relationships ### [Bunny Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/bunny_ross) _romantic_ Bunny and Paul have a passionate but complicated romantic relationship, filled with desire and conflict. ### [Dad Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/dad_ross) _rivalry_ Dad Ross views Paul as a threat to his daughter and family, leading to open hostility and manipulation. ### [Bunny Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/bunny_ross) _romantic_ Bunny and Paul have a passionate but complicated romantic relationship, filled with desire and conflict. ### [Bunny Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/bunny_ross) _romantic_ Bunny and Paul have a passionate but complicated romantic relationship, filled with desire and conflict. ### [Dad Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/dad_ross) _rivalry_ Dad Ross views Paul as a threat to his daughter and family, leading to open hostility and manipulation. ### [Dad Ross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/dad_ross) _rivalry_ Dad Ross views Paul as a threat to his daughter and family, leading to open hostility and manipulation. ## In the story ### [Oil!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/oil) First mentioned as a local figure connected to the oil fields, hinting at future alliances and conflicts. ### [II: The Lease](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii-the-lease) Appears outside the window, whispering to Bunny; has run away from home and asks for food. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Appears outside the window, whispering to Bunny for help getting food; a runaway from home. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) A 16-year-old runaway from a Pentecostal family, struggling with faith and poverty, who bonds with Bunny over their shared sense of alienation. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) Disappears after the meeting, leaving Bunny distraught; he had refused Bunny's offer of money. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned by Bunny as a counterexample to Dad's cynical view of people, having refused Bunny's money. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Absent but central to Bunny's thoughts; described as a proud, hungry anchorite who later sends stamps to repay Mrs. Groarty for stolen food. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned as a legendary figure who refused Dad's money; sends a five-dollar bill to his family and is idealized by Bunny. ### [IV: The Ranch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv-the-ranch) Angry about the sale of the ranch, believing the Rosses are taking advantage of his family; has become a freethinker under a lawyer's tutelage. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as the boy Bunny met; his family is in trouble and he is away. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Born and raised on the ranch; Bunny feels a thrill approaching his birthplace. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned as Ruth's brother who ran away; Bunny shares what little he knows. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Mentioned as Bunny's friend; Dad secures a share of the trust for him. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) Paul visits Ruth secretly, angry about the ranch sale and suspicious of the Rosses' oil interests; he is now working for a freethinking lawyer and reading critical books. ### [V: The Revelation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v-the-revelation) Returns to Paradise as a grown man, estranged from his father, speaks like an educated man, and has a somber demeanor. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as having visited Ruth months ago and given her 'The Age of Reason'; has 'traveled far' in his thinking. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Absent but central to the discussion; Dad identifies him as the potential bearer of the Third Revelation. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as the potential tenant for the Rascum ranch, but Ruth says he would not accept charity. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Returns to see Ruth, has broken with his father, shares his self-education in science, and agrees to work the ranch on shares. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Acts as boss-carpenter for the cabin, fries fish for supper, and is present when the news about Excelsior Petroleum arrives. ### [VI: The Wildcat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi-the-wildcat) Hired to build the bunkhouse and later works on the derrick, earning $5 a day and gaining respect from his father. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Agrees to work as a carpenter, hires local men, and benefits from Dad's money. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Working on the derrick, keeps in the background. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Works as a utility man at the well; is mentioned as the one who knew Joe Gundha had a family; aspires to be a scientist. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Helps evacuate his family and assists in digging the shaft for the dynamite blast. ### [VII: The Strike](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii-the-strike) Paul has joined the carpenters' union and discusses unionization with Bunny, representing the workers' perspective and pushing Bunny to question the status quo. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Now boss-carpenter, Paul explains to Bunny the harsh twelve-hour shifts of oil workers and their lack of time for reading. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Has joined the carpenters' union, argues with Dad Ross about labor rights, studies labor issues, and introduces Bunny to union organizer Tom Axton. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as a force in Dad's consciousness, providing firsthand knowledge of the workers' perspective and influencing Dad's decision to help the men. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Has resigned from his job to support the striking oil workers; works long hours at union headquarters and gives a powerful speech about democracy and the three-shift day. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned as an agitator in the strike; Bunny's friendship with him causes family tension. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Active on the strike committee, editing 'The Labor Defender' and using his savings to support hungry families, while evading arrest. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Confronts Bunny about his sister Ruth, accuses Bunny of being soft, and challenges him to oppose his father. ### [VIII: The War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii-the-war) Stationed in the army building barracks for low pay; contrasts his situation with war profiteers; a moral force Bunny turns to but cannot confess to. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Returns as Dad's boss builder but is drafted; refuses exemption, argues with Bunny about the war. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) On furlough, building barracks for the army, contrasts his pay with war profits. ### [IX: The Victory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix-the-victory) Working at army cantonment, discusses Russian Revolution with Bunny and Dad, offers a sympathetic view of the Bolsheviks. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Working at the cantonment, discusses the Russian Revolution and secret treaties, challenges Dad's views. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Expected home for furlough before being shipped to Vladivostok to build barracks and Y.M.C.A. huts along the Trans-Siberian railway. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Serving in Siberia, building barracks and Y huts; no word has been received from him for weeks. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/x) Reported to be alive and well in Irkutsk, Siberia, after five months of no communication. ### [X: The University](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/x-the-university) Serving in Siberia; sends a brief, censored note to Bunny that raises questions about the war. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Sends a brief, censored letter from Siberia, which Bunny finds cold but Dad explains as necessary for military censorship. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as being in Siberia, he arranges for a letter to be sent to Bunny describing the dire conditions. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Imprisoned after Bunny's letter is intercepted; sends a bitter reproach. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Bunny's friend and strike leader; Bunny seeks to help him by writing about Siberia. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/x) Sends a cold, matter-of-fact postcard from Siberia; Bunny writes a coded reply. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xi) Mentioned as the one returning from Siberia; his fate is the focus of Bunny's excitement. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Returns gaunt and sick from Siberia, reveals he was used as a strikebreaker for bankers, and describes the Allied intervention in Russia. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Explains the Russian Revolution to Bunny, drawing parallels to the Paradise oil strike and recounting traumatic experiences in Siberia. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Defends the Bolsheviks, describing their dedication to education and the workers' cause. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Returns to tell Bunny about the Russian Revolution and the workers' takeover of industries; is weak and exhausted but full of revolutionary fervor. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Recovers with rest and home cooking, then comes to Angel City to meet Bunny and Harry Seager. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/x) Bunny's best friend, a soldier returned from Siberia; Bunny defends his character and recounts his experiences. ### [XII: The Siren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xii-the-siren) Returned to work as a boss-carpenter; deeply involved in labor activism, leading classes and discussions on the class struggle; his cabin is a center for radical thought. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Returned to work as boss-carpenter, leading labor study classes and spreading radical ideas. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Referenced as part of the 'Bolshevik bunch' that Bunny sympathizes with, highlighting Bunny's internal conflict. ### [XIV: The Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xiv-the-star) Endorses Tom Axton's position of saving the union; debates with Socialists and Communists. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Endorses Tom Axton's position of saving the union above all else. ### [XV: The Vacation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xv-the-vacation) Arrested with others on charges of criminal syndicalism; Bunny receives a telegram from Ruth Watkins pleading for bail. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as a union organizer whose friend Eddie Piatt is jailed; Paul knows stories of prison brutality. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Listed by Roscoe as a known labor agitator under surveillance. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Arrested with others on charges of criminal syndicalism during a strike; bail is set at ten thousand dollars. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Arrested on suspicion of criminal syndicalism; Bunny defends his character and motives. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) In jail again for contempt of court; remains a central figure in the strike. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Out of jail, in Angel City with Ruth; oil workers were tricked into surrender by operators. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Out looking for a job; has been arrested twice and is bitter. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as a key figure among the eight defendants, committed to organizing oil workers. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Bunny is plotting and scheming with Paul, which worries Vee and strains their relationship. ### [XVII: The Exposure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xvii-the-exposure) Planned as principal speaker at the protest meeting; his case is part of the political prisoner situation. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Mentioned by the jailed workers who ask Bunny about Paul's thoughts on their situation. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Principal speaker at the planned protest meeting; his case is central to the chapter's conflict. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Decides to join the Workers' party and openly become a Communist, arguing that only revolution can break capitalist power. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Bunny longs to argue with him about the Workers' Party and radical politics. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Pulls Bunny toward radical Communism, arguing capitalists will never allow peaceful transition. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) A Bolshevik organizer, shell-shocked from war, argues for revolutionary action against capitalism. ### [XVIII: The Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xviii-the-flight) Arrested as a delegate at a secret Workers' party convention in Canada. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Reported arrested in a federal raid on a Workers' party convention. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) Out on bail after being arrested at the Communist convention; travels to Moscow amid factional disputes. ### [XIX: The Penalty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xix-the-penalty) Mentioned as a Bolshevik; Bunny admires Ruth's loyalty to him. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ii) Referenced indirectly through Bunny's continued correspondence and commitment to radical causes; Bunny sends letters home for Rachel to publish. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Returns from Russia, haggard but fanatical, describing the Soviet experiment and the Third International. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Describes Soviet oil trusts, workers' unions, and cultural revolution; recounts his arrest and plans to organize in California; draws parallels between the Prospect Hill lease fight and world diplomacy. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Discusses Eli's hypocrisy, reveals Ruth already knew about Bunny's actress, and shares his pragmatic views on love and radical commitment. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Arrested by French police and expelled from France before he can speak at a Communist meeting. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Deported from France as a Bolshevik agitator; sends a coded message to Bunny from the steamer. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) Referenced as a Bolshevik, contrasting with Bunny's path. ### [XX: The Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xx-the-dedication) Mentioned as sending a cablegram of sympathy; his work in Russia influences Bunny's thinking but creates tension with Rachel's anti-Communist position. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/i) Sends a telegram of sympathy to Bunny. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Not yet home; is traveling and speaking, having gained prominence from his arrests. ### [XXI: The Honeymoon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xxi-the-honeymoon) Expected to return from Russia; speaks at a meeting about the Russian Revolution and is sought by Bunny for college discussions. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iii) Returns from Russia and speaks at a Labor Temple; plans to address longshoremen at the harbor. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as the speaker at the lease meeting; his voice was first heard through Mrs. Groarty's window. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/v) Bunny fears Paul has been taken by the lynching party during the raid. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vi) Lying unconscious with a severe head injury, diagnosed with a skull fracture. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/vii) Paul is in the hospital with a fractured skull, the victim of a brutal attack; his influence on Bunny is central to the chapter. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/viii) Lies unconscious and gravely injured, breathing hoarsely, with uncertain chances of survival. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/ix) Lying injured in the hospital, the focus of the vigil. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/x) Lying in a stupor, injured, unable to respond to the false broadcast about his repentance. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xi) In a coma, muttering revolutionary slogans in Russian. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xiii) Delirious and speaking Russian, reliving revolutionary experiences. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xiv) In a violent, maniacal frenzy, he is restrained and dies, with Ruth believing he tried to speak to her. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/chapters/xv) Deceased; his funeral is the central event of the chapter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters/paul_watkins - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oil_se/characters