Six Degrees of Separation

Paul is a young black man who talks his way into the Kittredges home and lives by pretending to be a friend of their children who has been mugged. When the audience first encounters him, he is described as “very handsome, very preppy” (14) and is wearing a “white Brooks Brothers shirt” (14). He impresses Ouisa and Flan with his cooking and his theories on the imagination. However, Paul is actually homeless and his “preppy” appearance is something he learned from an ex-lover, Trent Conway, in order to gain access to rich, upper-class social circles.

Paul’s decision to create a new identity is driven by a desire to make a better a life for himself. He believes that “the imagination is the passport we create to take us into the real world” (34) and something that allows you “to transform your nightmares into dreams” (63). He imagines himself as not only part of Ouisa’s and Flan’s sophisticated, privileged world but also part of their family. The need for a family is an important motivation for Paul. He initially “imagines” himself as the son of the actor Sidney Poitier, who himself takes on various roles and “conjure[s] up” (22) worlds and identities.