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 further actions that should not have ever crossed his mind, in which case eventually led to ending his life. I chose to draw a picture of Paul as a young teenage boy, pondering who he will be as an adult. I included drawings of him in three separate thought bubbles—one scenario per each bubble. The scenarios are …show more content…
In Cather's story, the vision is of Paul staying a boy and not identifying as transitioned or gay. This allows the story to be told based on Paul as a boy and not as a transitioned or gay reflecting on his life. I believe "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather is the most compelling piece of literature. This text goes into great detail, and the length of the story allows more detail to be portrayed. The feelings expressed throughout the text are vital to the story, and it is essential to imitate Paul's emotions and the situations he has experienced throughout his life. The feelings of anger, sadness, joy, yearning, and resentment are vital to understanding Paul's choices. While reading "Paul's Case," I felt I could relate to part of what Paul was going through. I yearn to want more for myself in life; I have experienced a lot of anxiety, hurt, and resentment in life while also experiencing the happiness and joy of what life can provide at times. Chung-Hao Ku's article was very well written and had immense
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
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
their favorite book is like when acted out on the screen. Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" is a good example of a work adapted to video. The movie has slight differences from the book, but the director Lamont Johnson follows the original closely. Most movies that are inspired by books hold some relation to the author's version, but are changed to fit the director's vision and perhaps make the movie more presentable. "Paul's Case" the movie, beginning to the end, is basically the same, but slight differences
A Feminist Reading of Paul's Case At first glance, it may be considered difficult to give a feminist interpretation of "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, because there is not much mention of women in the text. However, this fact alone gives good reason for a feminist reading of the story. The lack of the presence of females in this story supports the idea that women were not considered an important part of society during Willa Cather's lifetime. In "Paul's Case," the story revolves around
The setting of the short story “Paul’s Case” is clear and appropriate for the story. This is because Paul's feelings in the story happen to have a direct connection to the setting of the story. The East Coast of the United States is where the story takes place. From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Newark, New Jersey, and then on to New York, New York, the exact setting differs throughout the story. “…the dull dawn was beginning to show grey when the engine whistled a mile out of Newark” (Cather). At
“Paul’s Case,” a short story written by Willa Cather, is widely known and taught throughout English classes ranging from high school to college level. This is perhaps Cather’s most famous and reprinted short story, and for good reason. The main character, Paul, is constantly being developed through the story leaving the reader trying to keep up. There are also countless other aspects of “Paul’s Case” that call for attention. Two of the most significant aspects that the author uses are foreshadowing
“Paul’s case: A study in Temperament” by Willa Cather is representative of students coming of age in a world where everyone has a plan for them, and they are forced into this mold. Paul believes that he is the only one going through this, and that is part of what makes it so hard for him because he believes no one understands, even though most individuals experience this. This on top of many aspects of his temperament lead him to make rash decision to go against everything that he has grown up feeling
Paul’s Case is an account of disheartening events, all of which begins in Pittsburg, in the early 1900’s. Paul is unlike other high school kids his age, and seems to always be in some sort of mischief. As our story’s main character and anti-hero, Paul’s nature is one his peers cannot fathom. His personality can be described as unrealistic, dissembled and deep down, suicidal. He is the school’s exile, yet looks at just about everyone with weak revulsion. A hopeless Paul seeks accession throughout