Character Analysis
Poor Mrs. Worthington cuts a pretty tragic figure in Paperboy. When Victor first sees her, he's struck by how beautiful she is and is excited to talk to her more on his paper route. But as he observes her life, he comes to realize that Mrs. Worthington is very sad—and that she definitely has a drinking problem.
Victor observes Mrs. Worthington drinking to excess and fighting with her husband. The more he sees of her sad, isolated life, the more he notices how empty she looks inside:
She did have a smile for me. A sad one. She didn't act like she was drinking whiskey but I got the feeling she had gobs of stuff on her mind. She looked straight ahead like when your eyes really don't see anything because your brain is thinking hard about something else. (7.3)
Even though Mrs. Worthington is a glamorous woman with a seemingly easy life, inside she's hurting a lot and is using alcohol to stave off her emotional pain. In other words, Victor's not the only one who struggles.