The Rooster (Paul Sedaris) Character Analysis

Paul Sedaris is Sedaris’s youngest sibling. By the time of his birth, most of the Sedaris siblings have already made it clear that they aren’t going to live up to their father’s dreams for them. For this reason, Paul becomes Lou’s final hope. Lou does all he can to get Paul to become an Ivy League student and a star athlete, but it becomes clear early on that none of this will happen. In fact, Paul—who refers to himself as The Rooster—breaks all of his parents’ rules. His father never curses, but The Rooster calls everyone (including Lou) “bitch” and “motherfucker.” What’s more, The Rooster smokes marijuana in the living room even though Sedaris and his siblings weren’t allowed to smoke marijuana anywhere. When he graduates from high school, The Rooster attends a technical school, but he drops out in the first semester to work for a landscaping company. Despite their differences, though, The Rooster and Lou Sedaris have an incredibly close relationship. This is largely because Lou appreciates The Rooster’s directness, even if The Rooster says things Lou himself would never say. Furthermore, The Rooster is the only Sedaris sibling who lives near home, meaning that he’s the one who—after their mother dies—looks after Lou. A kind soul, he makes sure that his father knows he’s there for him, even if he does so while calling him “bitch.”