Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Paul's case meaning
Character analysis for Paul's case
Summary of paul's case by willa cather
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Paul's case meaning
The Underlying Motifs at Work in Paul’s Case In the short story Paul’s Case by Willa Cather there are many questions that are raised throughout. Such as the belief that Paul is a narcissist and the tendencies that Paul displays that hint towards PTSD. These main points of the novel are evident through the fact that Paul thinks he is too good for school, and the nervous ticks that he displays when he is around his teachers and Father. However the true main point of the short story is the sexuality of the main character, Paul. Although it is never confirmed many believe that Paul is a homosexual because of the subtle clues Cather presents the reader throughout the story. Paul’s sexuality is but one piece in the story lays the foundation for …show more content…
This statement from Rubin Really shows who Paul is in the story because Paul was Terrified that his Father was going to find his violet water, so he hides it in a little compartment. Rubin’s analysis about the violet water also draws up ideas about how Paul just wants to be himself but he still cares what his father and what others might think of him if he lets his feminine side show. Rubin also brings up another interesting point about Paul’s relationship towards to his father “It is difficult to imagine a situation where Paul’s father would feel so completely disgraced by his son that he could actually wish that he shot his son beforehand” (5). When Paul sneaks in side of the house he thinks that his father might mistake him for an intruder but he also says that his father might be happy if he shot him. This suggests that the relationship between Paul and his father isn’t great, but Paul immediately jumping to the conclusion that his …show more content…
He runs away to New York and buys very expensive clothes, and he rents a room at an extravagant hotel. Phillip Page’s essay brings up interesting ideas about the theatrical elements in Paul’s Case. This quote from Page helps further the complexity of Paul’s character “We see Paul offstage in the dressing room changing costume and character getting ready for his next role. This costume also does not fit” (1). At the beginning of the story Paul is trying to play the Character that his father wants him to; to hide that he is homosexual, but his rebellious nature gets in the way. Now at the end part of the story he has adapted a new character that he has desired to be for so long, but like the quote mentions he once again is not the person he is trying to portray. Even though he has the fancy clothes and a luxury hotel room for a week he isn’t this person because he doesn’t have the money to live a lavish life. The thought of having to go back to a life where he has to hide his true self devastates Paul so he takes the drastic route by stepping in front of a train. This is the final action that Paul commits in the novel and it shows the deep despair that most likely a lot of homosexual people felt at the time because of the negativity associated with
Paul’s character relates to the central idea because he is an example of a person who was not accepted by others and fell down on a dark path of no
Every encounter Paul has with someone he creates a new identity to bond and connect with them. Throughout the play Paul creates multiple personas for himself, he realizes that he is an empty vessel with no past and only memories of what he has done during his different personas. Paul loses control over his multiple personas which cause them to overlap with each other. Which causes him to feel lost and in search of help, when Ousia offers this help he gladly takes it which end up putting him in prison and never to be seen in New York.
However, in order to see that other part of Sean, it is important to analyze some passages of the book and Sean’s behavior. Among those aspects of the life of Sean, his mental silence about his relationship with Paul is what leads readers to question Sean’s identity. Bret Easton Ellis did a good job trying to leave ambiguous whether or not the sexual encounters between Paul and Sean are real, but a deeper analysis of Sean’s behavior proves that more than a simple adventure, this relationship reveals a part of Sean’s personality that leads readers to understand his self-described appearance. Sean’s recalls of past sex experiences with women are just a way to convince himself that he is a man confident of his sexual preferences. Therefore, he is a frustrated individual who lacks and identity or tries to avoid his real one. In other words, in the book, Sean pretends to be a “macho” just to hide his taste in men. The other two main characters of the story provide important information to understand Sean. Without those narrations it would be difficult to doubt about his self-described personality. Ultimately, His complicated relationships with each of the other two characters reveal the real personality of Sean. He is an individual who worries about not being someone and for that reason makes up a false
Analysis of Paul's Case by Willa Cather. Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case” is a story about a young 16 year-old man, Paul, who is motherless and alienated. Paul’s lack of maternal care has led to his alienation. He searches for the aesthetics in life that he doesn’t get from his yellow wallpaper in his house and his detached, overpowering father figure in his life. Paul doesn’t have any interests in school and his only happiness is in working at Carnegie Hall and dreams of one day living the luxurious life in New York City.
Paul, who is the father of the eight children, shows up sporadically throughout the book. LaJoe and Paul split up because he was addicted to drugs. Paul worked for the local sewer department, making $350 to $450 every two weeks. Instead of providing for his family, Paul would spend all the money on drugs. This put the family in a stressful situation because they could not afford the necessities that they needed. Paul was so dependent on drugs to the point where he would steal money from his own children. The children knew about Paul’s drug problem, which caused them to act out. One morning, Lafeyette could not find his dog anywhere in the apartment. He immediately assumed that his father sold the dog for drug money. Paul was at the apartment that day with his mother sitting on the couch watching television. All the sudden, Lafeyette stormed in the room and up to his father, accused him of stealing his dog and called him a dope fiend. Lafeyette was so angry his “right fist came smashing into the side of his father’s temple” . Paul said “You’re fourteen. You’re of age. You want to be a man, okay, you got a choice to be a man” . All of the sudden, Paul started hitting Lafeyette. LaJoe did not know how to handle the situation and began to break up the fight. This example displays how strain affects the relationship with the father and son because they used instrumental relief to relieve
In "Paul's Case," the story revolves around a young male. He is the main character. There are very few mentions of women, however, when they do come into the story they are only mentioned briefly, or they play minor, secondary characters. Paul's mother and sisters are spoken about once during the entire story, while there are four references to his father. The females in his family are mentioned only in passing and remain flat characters, while his father is referred to several times, each time involving an action or comment which exhibits an aspect of his father's personality which makes him a more rounded character.
Paul wanted everyone to think he was better than they were. Not only did he try to dress as if he were rich and important, his very actions displayed a great amount of disdain for everyone around him.
Pauls past relationship with his dad has been rough because of his dad leaving shawn. Paul feels as though his dad left the family so he didn't have to worry about shawn and their family problems. During the time his dad was gone paul has been angry that shawn hasn't been getting the fatherly support he needs to feel normal. “My dad couldn't stay with us and help us take care of my brother--no, he left me to handle all that so he could jet around and make a bunch of money whining about his tragic plight”(4). Paul realizes that if his dad really cared about their family situation he wouldn't have left the family in the position he was in.
For all of Paul’s life, he has been bullied by his brother Erik and hasn’t told anyone because he feared him. On page 263 and 264 of the book, Paul had a flashback “I remembered Erik’s fingers prying my eyelids open while Vincent Castor sprayed white paint into them.”. This illustrates
Paul has an addiction to alcohol that has greatly devastated his life, but he also has a problem with gambling. Paul’s gambling started shortly after his alcoholism and his problems are all related. This is demonstrated when Norman states “… tell my mother and father that my brother had been beaten by the butt of a revolver and his body dumped in an alley” (Maclean 102). His addiction caused a cycle of problems, starting with his alcohol addiction, which led to gambling and from there stemmed money problems. Ultimately his alcoholism left him dead in an alley with his family wondering how it all happened, because he was not connected to them. His life was literally destroyed because of a few thoughtless decisions he made while intoxicated. All of his life problems and experiences are connected by one thing: his need to get a short rush of happiness from alcohol. His past decisions all added up and ended up killing him, and if he would have made wiser decisions in the past he might be still
In his first year of school, he is only interested in Megan Murray, the first girl Paul has ever lusted for. However in his second year, he meets Rosie. Rosie watches him practise in the Music Room during lunch. Initially, Paul feels intimidated by Rosie as he thinks that she is too much like himself. He is afraid that he now has competition as she is the other smart kid in the class, yet he still chooses to teach her some piano. Choosing to spring lines from Herr Keller’s teachings, he makes himself sound smarter and more accomplished at the piano than he actually is. The characters show the development of Paul through the way they act with Paul and the language and content used in conversation. This enables us to see Paul’s “plumage” being presented to the world as Paul develops through time to become the swan that he is at the end of the novel.
From the outset of the story, the reader is shown Paul's thoughts. Through this the story tells us that Paul has a very active imagination. This is shown when Pauls says, "Then,
Pauls's Case is the story of a young man who struggles with his identity. Paul feels that he knows where he belongs, but his family and teachers refuse to support his choices. In the middle of Paul's Case, there is a switch in narration. At this point, the reader can associate with Paul and his problems. Paul struggles with both internal and external conflicts, causing him to be quite a puzzling character. From tha perspective of his family and teachers, Paul seems abnormal. From his perspective, however, he seems misunderstood.
...ore different cultures and meet people of their same sexuality. Finally, Paul explains how he was next to Roger at bedside, they were both ill so they both had each other’s support. He would pray every night to god for giving him another day of life which he was thankful for. He was tucked next to Roger and he thanked the lord for all they had at the moment and for all they have had before their illness. He counted his blessings and he knew what he was about to lose. He was a patient of AIDS, a fatal virus that would ruin his body from the inside and all because this virus was transmitted through sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse between gay men that was. He felt the chills when he had to go to the clinic and get checked up to see if his virus was getting better or worse. He had nightmares from visiting Roger while he was dieing on the 8th floor of the Hospita
Paul is rescued from the car wreck by a woman named Annie Wilkes, an experienced nurse who lives nearby. As Paul waves in and out of consciousness, he hears a voice telling him that she's his "number one fan". Annie takes him not to a hospital, but to her home, putting him in a spare bedroom. As Paul regains consciousness, he lies there completely helpless, being unable to move anything from his waist down. She feeds and bathes him and splints his broken legs, giving him