The story Paper by Catherine Lim shows how greed can destroy a family and a persons life. The whole family was looking forward o their dream house. Lim, the wife would talk about it for hours to her sister & the kids would tell their cousins and friends all about it as well. Tay Soon, the father nurtured the idea until it became a consuming passion of his and his familys lives. They dream about it, they hanker after it like an addict after his opiate.
It had become a reality stronger than the reality of the (real) terrace house (that they shared with Soons mom)(50). They talked about the house so much that they forgot about the house that they were living in. Suddenly the house wasnt good enough for them. The family just gets greedy because of all the money that was coming in from Tay Soon and LIm’s jobs. Both of them had a good amount of money saved in the savings account. But not enough to pay for the down payment of the house. At the same time, the interest rate on the stocks went up.
The quotation of stocks and shares were climbing the charts. When Lim came to know about it, she asked her husband to invest some money in the market to pay for the house. Lim says, the temptation is great and the reward is almost immediate(52). They need money for the house, quick. They see the rate go up and think of all the money they can make which would make them rich overnight. The house would be a reality pretty soon. But Soon got greedy, they kept investing even after they had enough to pay for the house.
And then came the market crash. Suddenly their stock wasnt even worth half the price Tay Soon bought them at. All the loss made Tay Soon go insane. He talks to himself, wont eat, has nightmares, and is abusive to his children and wife. His wife is afraid and she runs away sobbing to her sister who reminds her that she lost all of her money because she took Lims advise and didnt sell anything. Yee Lians husband died according to the doctor there as a devil in him(56). It is the greed for the money that was the devil.
The paper house was brought to Tay Soons grave and was set on fire there(56). Tay Soon and his family always wanted a house and they were willing to use any means to get the money for it. The family gambles their savings and lost it. Tay Soon died because he knew his dream house was no longer a dream but it had became a nightmare for his family. It is better to work hard for the money even though it takes a long time. The faster the money comes the faster it is going to get out of your hand.