Symbolic Analysis on Paul's Case

It is as if Paul lives in the sun and knowledge of the world, baring that burden while others in society live in darkness with slight sliver of light from the moon believing they know the world to its full extent when in reality they are blind and in the dark. This affects Paul since he possess ideas from another point of view that others have no clue about. This is important because without the knowledge that Paul posses, he would be like his none the wiser parents, which would affect the story a great deal. For example, on page 152, Paul tells his friend, “Don’t do this. Don’t come in here with attitude.” Paul knows how to adapt to the places around him and knows that by accepting the facts and the brunt of the blow, they will accept him begin to

The narrator keeps a distant, nonemotional tone throughout this passage. The way Paul is described and talked about is disturbing. It is unusually that the schools inquisition was described as a baptism of fire. This sets a serious tone of wrath. With all the acquisitions and distaste from his teachers, Paul was able to sit with an uncomfortable smile. Older boys broke down, yet Paul didn’t care or was unable to feel emotions of disappointment. This creates an eerie tone. Something wasn’t right with Paul.

He realizes just like his father and his mother he is using drug and alcohol to cope with his pain is slowly killing them. Paul still didn’t know if he wants to live or die so he flirts with the idea of death, but he stops himself at the last second.

First of all, Paul’s parents have an immense part in creating the way in which Paul thinks about himself throughout the novel. For example in page 94, Bloor quotes, “Mom , you ruined my life at Lake Windsor Middle when you turned in that IEP.” This simple quote thoroughly proves that the act that Paul’s mom performed affected Paul

He confronts his family about how he got his bottle cap glasses and how the wrath of Erik played a role in it all. In the text it states, “‘Let me ask you one thing, mom. When you got home from the hospital that day, did you see the white paint on Erik’s hands’ ‘Yes’ ‘Did you know what happened’ ‘Yes’” (265). This means that Paul’s parents knew what happened to his eyes but did not tell him so he did not hate his brother.

The author tried to demonstrate that Paul’s biggest fear is his big brother Erik. Even though Erik and Paul are brothers, they are both very different. Paul also felt that the only person that would try to kill him is Erik, which mean that he does not trust Erik. The second way Bloor displayed fear is when Paul had another flashback about his vision, “ That was when I got my new glasses. That was when I got my new glasses. That was when I started to see better. From that day on, I could see things that they could not. I could see Erik posing in front of them, in the shining light of the football dream. And I could see Erik lurking behind me in the shadows of the clock.”(168) The evidence is declaring that Paul knows that his parent number one priority is always Erik. Moreover , Bloor is trying to show how Erik has manipulated Paul both mentally and physically by using flashback as a tool. Bloor indicated that the central reason why Paul is “blind” is mainly because of Erik. The literary device flashback works smoothly with the theme fear since every single one of Paul’s flashback either talks about his eyesight or how much he feels conflicted by

Whether it is to his teacher’s or his music instructor, Paul always has that quirky smile. This offset smile symbolizes all the feelings Paul has inside. It symbolizes the rude ways that Paul does not even know he is doing. It symbolizes that something is wrong. The narrator states, “Older boys than Paul had broken down and shed tears under that ordeal, but his set smile did not once desert him…” (Cather). Paul does not seem to know that he makes people feel uncomfortable under his smile. He makes people feel insecure about themselves, but maybe that is what Paul wants them to feel. Critics say, “Paul is smiling, and his accusers find his appearance—especially the red carnation in his lapel— ‘not properly significant of the contrite spirit befitting a boy under the ban of suspension’” (Wilson). For Paul being so out of place and unnoticeable in society, he sure gets a lot of attention from teachers. Paul’s smile shows the teacher that he thinks everything they are saying is a complete waste of time because he honestly does not care. Paul’s drawing master added, “I don’t really believe that smile of his comes altogether from insolence; there’s something sort of haunted about it” (Cather). Paul’s drawing teacher see’s through Paul’s know-it-all smile and thinks that there is more to it. That maybe his smile is not out of rudeness, but of something like a disability.

Yet another example of the brutalization and dehumanization of the soldiers caused by the war occurs during Paul’s leave. On leave, Paul decides to visit his hometown. While there, he finds it difficult to discuss the war and his experiences with anyone. Furthermore, Paul struggles to fit in at home: “I breathe deeply and say over to myself:– ‘You are at home, you are at home.’ But a sense of strangeness will not leave me; I cannot feel at home amongst these things. There is my mother, there is my sister, there my case of butterflies, and there the mahogany piano – but I am not myself there. There is a distance, a

the love and care he unknowingly needs. Paul takes on roles that disguise his own traits and turns him into what he believes to be a person nobody can say no to. When he takes on these roles, he

Paul has an obsession with the arts, which serve as either an outlet or cause for his individuality, while at the same time bringing a certain understanding about Paul's unique persona to the reader. Cather illustrates this obsession frequently; for example she writes: "It was not that symphonies, as such, meant anything in particular to Paul, but the first sigh of the instruments seemed to free some hilarious and potent spirit within him; something that struggled there like the Genius in the bottle found by the Arab fisherman"(Pg. 3). However Paul's obsession with the arts is not necessarily healthy either, and serves almost as an addiction, as he has no desire to pursue a career in the arts. Although Paul seems to escape his daily struggle with conformity, and become lost in the dream world that these medias create for him, his desire to remain in a world of fantasy motivates him to lie and steal. This addiction is the reason Paul makes up stories in school about fantastic voyages he never takes, lying to his teachers, stealing money from "Denny & Carson's" (possibly a law firm?), and using the stolen money to pursue his fantasy: "what he wanted was to see, to be in the atmosphere [around the music and arts], float on the wave of it, to be carried out, blue league after blue league, away from everything."(Pg. 8) Even though Cather in some way justifies Paul's pursuit of his dreams through this addiction to the arts,

Paul has got an old university friend, a character who is very important for this book. His name is Ed Finnerty. He is the fatal character for Paul because he is the one who makes Paul realize his real position and all the people's real positions. He is

Paul's father had abused him emotionally, and probably physically, throughout Paul's life. He did so much to Paul's flagging self-image that he had to boast to others to make himself feel big, when he felt tiny inside. When he finally achieved that "bigness" that he always wanted, the glamour of "the good life," his father found him out and took that away from him, or rather, made Paul give it up. This made Paul feel even smaller and made him feel that he would be better off dead. So Paul decided to make his life "better off" and

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

Whenever he is facing something troubling, Paul always seems to go to something that symbolizes spring. After being bereted by his teachers, Paul goes to work early to look at the painting “Paul possessed himself of the place and walked confidently up and down, whistling under his breath. After a while he sat before a blue Rico and lost himself” (178). Simply focusing on the bright, and vibrant colors of the paintings seem to be a euphoric release for Paul, and so is listening to the lively music of Carnegie Hall: “He felt a sudden zest of life; the lights danced before his eyes and the concert hall blazed into unimaginable splendor” (178). There is always happy music played in the spring. After Paul’s father takes away all of Paul’s joy, all of his escapes, Paul finds no other choice but to steal away and find the life he has always wanted to live. Paul goes on a search for happiness and finds it in bright colorful New York City. The atmosphere brings Paul to life. Paul is surrounded by flowers, the most recognizable symbol of spring, bright colors, and happy people. He finally feels like he belongs: “He could not remember a time when he had felt so at peace with

When Paul asks his parents to reveal the truth to him about how he really almost lost his eyesight the reader gets a look at how fake and awful his parents have been to him his whole life. The gothic element present in this scene is dysfunctional family, Bloor used this to show the reader how ingenuine Paul's family is with him. Words such as “rage” and “frozen” show the reader how Paul and his parents were feeling during this discussion (PDF pg 161). His parents were guilty, Paul's mom and dad even broke down into tears. When his parents began the lie by telling Paul that he lost his eyesight by staring at a solar eclipse they also began a dysfunctional relationship. They made Paul “hate himself” so that they could make sure he didn't detest Eric, his older brother (PDF pg