Paul's Case Essay

Laura Clauser 9/18/2008 Lit 42 The Emotional Place of “Paul’s Case” The main character, a challenging adolescent boy named Paul, has an almost inexplicable ability at irritating every person he comes in contact with. He finds his education trivial, a sense of superiority towards his peers, and a general distaste for everything in his suburban neighborhood on Cordelia Street. At first glance, Paul appears to be suffering from the typical adolescent angst. However, his actions and frame of

Taylor Smith Lisa Grundy ENG 112- 869B April 28, 2024 Paul’s Case Literature Review "Paul's Case" profoundly spoke to me. The details provided by the author gave an insight into his difficult life. The author included great detail that showcased Paul's life. The theme of "Paul's Case" is Paul's increasing desire and demand for money to better his life for himself. He longs to fit in with people around him and constantly feels isolated. He essentially feels like he is alone in this world. He took

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 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 surrounds

farther look into the story, the conflicts the character face make more sense. Every word an author puts in a story is important. So by knowing the symbols with in the story help the reader understand why it is there. In Willa Cather’s short story, Paul’s Case, allows readers to see the themes more clearly and

In Willa Cather’s short coming of age like story “Paul’s Case,” Paul, the protagonist, shows contempt for everyone in his dull life including family and teachers and he has no friends. As a way of escaping the life that he thinks is so dreary and boring he indulges himself in his obsessions which include art, theater, music, and his job where he is an usher at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh. His unrealistic ideas that the art world and world of ritzy first class people is like a fantasy like utopia

Essence of Materialism in Paul’s Case Paul’s Case, a short story by Willa Cather, is an insight into the life of a young man who experiences strong repulsion toward his mediocre life. In following Paul’s thoughts and deeds, the reader learns the tragic consequences of the main character’s disillusionment. Despite the absence of any dramatic events or climatic scenes that would serve as turning points for Paul’s fate, Cather profoundly describes his mental and emotional state through his exaggerated

Paul's Case Paul was a self-oriented boy, concerned with money, wealth, and glamour, raised in a Calvinist household that supported these ideals. Through my research I have decided that Paul's eventual fate was not any one person's fault. Paul was just as much to blame as his father and teachers for Paul's suicide. Paul was never content with his house on Cordelia Street and was always dreaming about "movin' on up" while he worked at Carnegie Hall and watched the actors and actresses move

while others struggle and are unable to fit into the grand scheme of things. Paul, the main character in Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” is one individual who struggles to find his own identity. Paul does not seem to blend well in any level of society. Paul cannot fathom living a common life, yet when he tries to live lavishly, he pays the ultimate price. In the short story “Paul’s Case,” Willa Cather characterizes Paul as a hopeless romantic through her use of selection of detail, symbolism, and diction

For this week’s reading of “Paul’s Case,” I believe Paul’s case was depression; “It was the old depression exaggerated,” (Cather, page 105.) In the beginning, I knew he was a troubled kid. “He had been suspended a week ago,” (Cather, page 90) most kids don’t get suspended for no reason. The only kids that I know who have been suspended, or expelled, have done some major rule breaking to be able to manage suspension. Further into the short story, I began to notice things weren’t adding up. The boy

Throughout Paul’s Case there were events and small details that hinted at the fact that Paul was ___ unsatisfied with his life. The color “blue” was used at various times throughout the story. For instance, when Paul was in the Hall’s gallery he lost focus while looking