Willa Cather‟s “Paul‟s Case: A Study in Temperament” (1905) invites the reader to wonder, “What really is Paul‟s case?” Cather provides us with ample clues and descriptions of Paul‟s temperament with remarkable detail and insight into the human psyche considering that she had no formal background in psychology and that she was writing when Sigmund Freud was just beginning to publish his theories and was therefore writing by intuitive observation rather than by using a scientific approach. Because “Paul‟s Case” is written much like a descriptive analysis or case study in a patient‟s temperament, the reader is left with several details about Paul that are mysterious and psychiatrically and medically unexplained. The lack of a diagnosis for Paul has led many critics to develop their own diagnosis – some say Paul is a stereotypical homosexual, has Asperger‟s Syndrome or Autism, or that he has a combination of depression and anxiety. In my opinion, however, the most likely diagnosis for Paul is that he suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
According to the DSM-IV, people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder are “preoccupied with fantasies
of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love” (Criterion 2) and believe that they
are “„special‟ and unique and can only be understood by, or should be associated with, other special or
high-status people” (Criterion 3). Paul‟s clothing gives us our first clue to his narcissistic attitudes
about himself; in Cather‟s description of Paul‟s dress, it is apparent that Paul is attempting to rise
above his lower-class status by mimicking the upper class‟ appearance. The collar of Paul‟s overcoat is
velvet, and “there was something of the dandy about him, and he wore an...
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...her was writing about a social disorder that had not yet been
identified or studied. Despite the lack of knowledge about Narcissistic Personality Disorder
when Cather wrote this short story, she provides readers with plenty of details to diagnose the
boy themselves. Narcissism is the only diagnosis that can explain all of Paul‟s attitudes and behaviors,
and that is why it is the disorder that he must be suffering from.
Works Cited
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV. Arlington, VA.: American Psychiatric Association, 2007. Print.
Larry Rubin. "The Homosexual Motif in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case"" Studies in Short Fiction (1975): 127-31. Print.
Perkins, Barbara, Robyn Warhol-Down, and George B. Perkins. "Paul's Case: A Study in
Temperament." Women's Work: an Anthology of American Literature. New York: McGrawHill, 1994. Print.
The patients will have the understanding that if they cannot keep fighting the option is available. ¨ There is not more profoundly personal decision, nor one which is closer to the heart of personal liberty, than the choice which a terminally ill person makes to end his or her suffering and hasten an inevitable death¨ ( Sarah Henry, 1996, p. 10). If they are ready to end it, the option is available. They know the choice they make will affect them, but it also helps to know if they cannot go on they can tell the doctor and they will end it. ¨ Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations is the first religious group to pass in favor of Euthanasia for the terminally ill¨ ( Leading Issue Timelines, 2017, p. 8¨. The terminally ill should have the right to know if they are going to be allowed to end their lives if the fighting gets hard and to unbearable. They do not want to give up just to be on the road of a slow and possibly painful death. ¨ Between physician and patient concerning a request for assisted suicide be witnessed by two adults¨ ( Yale Kamisar, 1998, p. 6). The doctor´s are not going to just inject the patient with the killing drug. The patient has to be able to say for themselves and someone else has to be present when said, when gone over and when they are injected. The family can know their family member really wants to follow through with it and they have
I would not want my family to be forced to watch me suffer and be in excruciating pain twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I would want to save my family from that and save them the burden of giving up their lives to take care of me and pay for all the medication that will never save my life. I rather give them many happy memories to live on with of me and the things we’ve done together. I would never want their last image of me to be in a bed dying in pain that can't be helped. I have seen way to many people suffer from an illness, that has no cure. I’m sure if they had a choice, they’d want the option of assisted suicide. I’d want to die happy and on my own terms and I feel that many people want that and should have the option for
Jerry Fensterman, in his essay "I See Why Others Choose to Die", talks about how he can understand why terminal ill people after so long in pain with no hope to cure choose to end their life sooner than expected. Fensterman, who was a dignose with cancer, says "I know now how a feeling, loving, rational person could choose death over life, could choose to relieve his suffering as well as that of his loved ones a few months earlier that would happen naturally." I agreed with the writers point of view, and I can also understand why someone would make this type of decisions. It is not only physically devastating for the whole family to go through this type of situations, but it could also be economically damaging, and not to mention the stress that is slowly draining everyone around.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
The decision to end a life is a difficult one no matter the situation presented. It stirs a great deal of emotions when thinking about a loved one choosing to die in situations where they are terminally ill. Death is a scary thought for most people, but we need to remember that it is just a fact of life, no matter how morbid it sounds. There is some dignity in ending a life for a patient is who terminally ill and suffering, although it may be a tough decision, it can sometimes be the right one.
When two siblings are born together, and are close in age, many people wonder whether they will be the same or different altogether. A “River Runs through it” shows two brothers who grew up in the same household, and grew up loving to do the same activity fly fishing. Both brothers were raised in a very strict presbyterian household. Norman is the older brother, and he is much more responsible and family orientated. Paul is the irresponsible younger brother; Paul as an adult was not at home much anymore. Both brothers were loved equally as children, but how they view and use love is what separates them. Paul and Norman differ in behavior and character.
As covered previously, this would help the patients cope with their illness and the death process. Patients suffering with terminal illness deserve to have this right and freedom of euthanasia. Some might argue that patients wouldn’t take advantage of this legalization, but the suffering human deserves to have the option simply because of the freedom of choice. According to Terry Pratchett (a famous author who was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s), “As I have said, I would like to die peacefully with Thomas Tallis on my iPod before the disease takes me over and I hope that will not be for quite some time to come, because if I knew that I could die at any time I wanted, then suddenly every day would be as precious as a million pounds. If I knew that I could die, I would live. My life, my death, my
As previously stated, in the beginning of the book, Paul was super quiet, shy, and lonely. In fact, his only friend was his mom. Paul never tried to change anything, and never made his voice heard. He had terrible self esteem - mainly because he felt it was his fault he was blind, and had to
Paul in “Paul’s Case” wanted to get away from the reality and the hostile environment he faced. He was sick of Pittsburgh and the middle-class, Cordelia Street, which he lived on. Although his mother past away, his home life was as normal as could be. This is something Paul hated, normality. At school he would tell other students false stories to try to make his life seem more interesting than theirs. This ultimately caused none of the other students like him, even the teachers lash out at him. Paul was suspended from school, but he didn’t mind. He found an interest in music and in art, although he knew his father would not approve. Paul’s father wanted him to be a business man, have a normal family and have an ordinary life. Although, having a normal, ordinary life was not what Paul had in mind for his future. He dreamt of much more which caused him to believe he would never get his father’s approval.
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 believes that he was tricked into joining the army and fighting in the war. This makes him very bitter towards the people who lied to him. This is why he lost his respect and trust towards the society. Teachers and parents were the big catalysts for the ki...
...chiatric Association. (2012). “Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders” (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
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.
Summers, Claude J. "'A Losing Game in the End': Aestheticism and Homosexuality in Cather's 'Paul's Case.'" Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 103-119.
A person who is terminally ill will be able to leave this world without having to go through the process of the intense suffering predicted by a doctor. Why should a human being have to suffer on his/her last days on earth? Would they be truly living, or would they be imprisoned in a hospital room for the remaining days depressed and not in control of their life like they used to? They lose their quality of life. Marc Siegel, a doctor, talks about the two roles of a doctor, to prolong life and to ease suffering. He explains how sometimes they conflict with each other, and how the number one priority is to respect a patient’s wishes. He says that they, “…when pain predominates, when the patient is in agony, when reducing morphine cannot bring back quality of life. When the only choice is pain or death, doctors routinely¬ – with their patients’ advance approval – help them choose death” (821). The terminally ill patient does not suffer at the moment of death like she would if she would let nature take its course. Not only would they have a painless death, they would be able to choose when, where, and with whom they want to die. They will be able to say all the goodbyes they want, they could leave this world having made peace with everyone, and they would have the opportunity to really enjoy their quality of life. They will have the opportunity to not go through all the excruciating mental