According to many readers of Paul’s Case, this is a short story that shows affection, passion, and most of all enthusiasm. Willa Cather seems to base her stories off of daily life and events that she thought progressed in many lives. Her passion for writing showed in her literature giving a visualization on what people think doesn’t occur in the regular life of a person. Also throughout Willa Cather’s short stories she gave examples upon her childhood and her time spent in a small town she grew up in. Giving her the brilliancy and the ambition to become a writer of short stories which included, Paul’s Case. Themes are represented in all short stories in Paul’s Case, Cather shows the readers a young boy being brought up in a hostile environment whose only dream is to one day pursuiting more than what he came from to make his life better.
In Paul's Case by Willa Cather, a boy by the name Paul is the protagonist of the story. Paul is a roundcharacter, but not only does Paul show different personalities Paul seems to change his feelings throughout the story in many different situations. In the meeting in the beginning of the story Paul shows a careless attitude towards being entered in school after returning from suspension."His teachers felt this afternoon that his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug of his shoulders" (Cather 1). Although shows this trait throughout the entire story along with similar actions, this makes him look like a disobedient student and shows his careless attitude towards the situation that he is in. Throughout the story Willa Cather portrays Paul as a different character from the beginning of the story, to the middle until the end. After returning to school Paul headed off to his job which wa...
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... ending. Many elements would have to deal with this fatal ending if it was from Paul’s selfishness, carelessness, ignorance or selfishness no one should have to endure the pain that was caused upon Paul throughout the entire story “Although Paul’s Case was a story of a ill behavior child it is still known to be some of Will Cather’s work” (David 1). Even though the story ends with an crashing it still gives examples of other human life, asking you to put your foot in others shoes.
Work Cited
Paul’s Case.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit:
Gale. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
“Critical Overview: “Paul’s Case”.” EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
David, Carpete. “Paul’s Case.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
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
Wilson, Kathleen, ed. Short Stories for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Short Stories. Vol 2. Michigan: Gale Research, 1997.
In Paul’s true reality he has a lack of interest in school. His disinterest in school stems from the alienation and isolation he has in life. This disinterest in school reflects Paul’s alienation because of the unusual attention he receives there that he doesn’t get at home. In class one day he was at the chalkboard and “his English teacher had stepped to his side and attempted to guide his hand” (Cather 1). Paul, at the moment of being touched, stepped backwards suddenly and put his hands behind his back. In other classes he looks out the window during lectures and pays little attention to his teacher’s lessons. Paul, growing up without a mother figure in his life, is unaccustomed to any affection or care from his teachers that mothers tend to give. Therefore, his alienation is portrayed in his attitude toward school, and the fore...
Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” displays the conflict between conformity and individuality through the main character, Paul. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and stifle his unique imagination. However, his lying, stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for his individuality. Throughout the story one might see Cather’s constant contrast of individuality versus conformity, as well as Paul’s lying and stealing. Cather seems to draw the conclusion that extreme individuals, much like Paul are simply misunderstood, and not offered the acceptance they desire from conformist society.
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.
...is own intelligence. He is able to be observant even more so than the adults in his life. Paul’s eyesight is important through the book. His agency is limited by his glasses which he knows that it is. When Paul throws away his suit and has the fit he does, he realizes that he is becoming stronger. This would an example of deviating from the typical case prototype because he is able to learn these assumptions on his own. Throughout the book, Paul is able to solve problems on his own as well as having the courage to be straight forward with his dad and tell him that his eyesight was messed up by his brother. In the book, Paul has more emotions than adults think that he has. It bothers Paul that his father is all about the “Erik football dream” and that he is “like an idiot.” When Paul overcomes this stage he is able to grow on his own and become a stronger person.
Hicks, Jennifer. "Paul’s Case." Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 192-209. Short Stories for Students. Gale. Web. 21 Jan. 2010.
Tom Walker”." Short Stories for Students. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
While reading “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” and “Paul’s Case,” both of the main characters face the struggles of coming to age as men. Dave and Paul are at the point in their lives where they are rebellious and yearn to have freedom. Despite the difference in setting and the time eras these two short stories were written, the journey to manhood is prevalent in both of the characters lives. This journey to manhood both character come across is expressed through comparable literary techniques used throughout both short stories.
That had happened because of a traumatizing experience when he was in kindergarten. His brother, Erik, and Erik's friend, Vincent, had sprayed Paul's eyes with white paint. (Pg. 264) Before Paul had remembered that incident, Paul had always thought he was foolish. On page 35 it explains why he thought he was irrelevant. It says "I was the boy who had not listened and who was now paying the price." That shows that Paul had always thought low of himself because his parents never told him the truth. This decision made Paul feel weak and miserable because he had always thought it was his fault. On page 265 Paul gets his parents to admit what had actually happened to make him blind. They said they didn't tell him the truth because they didn't want him to hate his brother. What Paul mentions was quite sad. He said,"So you figured it would be better if I just hated myself". (265) In that scene, his mom and dad both broke down crying. All along, Paul had felt guilt in himself for something he hadn't done.
Children often have wild daydreams and intense fantasies, which leads to imaginary friends and crazy games. These fantasies may grow and seem like a superior choice when compared to reality, but it can become problematic, especially when it dominates their life. In Paul’s Case by Willa Cather, Paul’s decisions, thoughts, and his red carnation prove that an overpowering desire for a fantasy can lead to destruction.
In ‘Paul’s Case’ Paul has created a fantasy world in which he becomes entranced, even to the point of lying to classmates about the tales of grandeur and close friendships that he had made with the members of the stock company. This fantasy falls apart around him as “the principle went to Paul’s father, and Paul was taken out of school and put to work. The manager at Carnegie Hall was told to get another usher in his stead; the doorkeeper at the theater was warned not to admit him to the house” (Cather 8). The fantasy fell apart further when the stories he had told his classmates reached the ears of the women of the stock company, who unlike their lavish descriptions from Paul were actually hardworking women supporting their families. Unable to cope with the reality of working for Denny & Carson, he stole the money he was supposed to deposit in the bank to live the life of luxury in New York. Only a person who felt backed into a corner would attempt something so unsound. After his eight days in paradise, he is again backed into a corner by the reality of his middle class upbringing, and the dwindling time he has before his father reaches New York to find him. The final way out for Paul is his suicide, for which an explanation would be “In the end, he fails to find his security, for it was his grandiose “picture making mechanism” that made his life so deardful.” (Saari). With all the securities of his fantasy life finally gone, his mental instability fully comes to light as he jumps in front of the train to end his
Paul's Case by Willa Cather shows the world through the eyes of Paul, a boy's who's naive view of a good life leads to a tragic fate. Throughout the story, the reader is shown the life of Paul a snobby kid who believes he is above everyone else. Readers are shown his views of life and given quite a bit of information about Paul's character. By giving details about Pauls character through his thoughts, actions, words, and others' thoughts about him, readers are able to have an in depth view of his character and understand why he ultimately decides to take his own life.
Paul's father is a single parent trying to raise his children in a respectable neighborhood. He is a hard worker and trying to set a good example for his son. His father puts pressure on Paul by constantly referring to a neighbor, whom he feels is a perfect model for his son to follow.
... Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1997. 105-107.