The Use Of Symbolism In Paul's Case By Willa Cather

In the story “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, Paul is a teenager, who is misunderstood by many. He hates the life he lives around all the people who are familiar to him but dreams about the life he wish he had when he is around all of the rich people at Carnegie Hall. In this story with a tragic ending, Paul chases the life he wishes he had and takes his own life when he realizes how out of reach it actually is. The shift in point of view in the passage contributes to the understanding of Paul’s alienation by giving the audience an opportunity to see how others view him and how he views himself.

Many novels have used symbolism to express certain feelings and emotions in discreet ways. What is symbolism? "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships" (Dictionary.com). Numerous authors use the same denotations to illustrate different thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain uses various symbols, such as the river and the land to expose freedom and trouble in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

“Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather is set in Cordelia Street of Pittsburgh and then in New York, telling of Paul who is unhappy with his life and yearns for the elite and cultured. Considering “Paul’s Case” as a dramatisation of being bi-polar, both the setting and symbolism of the short story becomes two of the most important elements demonstrate it.

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.

Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the author’s intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or ideas. Symbolism is one of the most common practices of writing, and has been used for centuries. Symbols can often tell a story better than a human can because of there deeper meaning. When epic poems became popular during the Anglo-Saxon period they were filled with harrowing tales of bravery, and courage. Epic poems are long narrative poems that often have characters facing impossible tasks and still finding courage to defeat them. While many marvel at the original Anglo-Saxon dialect of Beowulf, Seamus Heany's modern English translation allows all readers to enjoy this tale.

The antagonist of this story is Paul’s father who just wants his son to be normal. Through out the story, only one side of Paul’s father is shown. This means that Paul’s father is a flat character. Paul’s father is a strict man and expects more out of Paul. But more is easier said then done because of Paul’s deep depression that everyone sees but does nothing about. When Cather writes, “his father called at the principle…” on page one, this shows that Paul’s father does want what is best for him by calling the school to explain Paul’s behavior. Also, on page nine, Cather writes, “… the young man who was daily held up to Paul as a model….” This quote shows that Paul’s Father has it in

The narrator expresses the teacher’s views towards Paul’s flowers, “…his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation…” (Cather). Paul wears the flowers to symbolize his beauty for things. Living in a grey world, Paul needs something to

Symbolism, by definition, is when concrete people, places, or things are used to substitute or represent abstract ideas. Symbols for symbolism can be any object or thing in the story that the reader believes represents more than what it literally is. Authors use symbolism to hint about characters’ lives, and they also use it to help establish a backstory for a character, if it has not been described already. Symbolism, when looked at closely and with a larger perspective, can also show an underlying theme for the story. Terry Brooks, in The Sword of Shannara, uses a forest setting as a symbol of fear, mysteriousness, and/or death.

In stories there will be objects that will constantly be mentioned within the story. This is what is known as Symbolism. Symbolism is the use of object, name, or person to represent an idea. If a name is being use, a name such as autumn can represent the adulthood of a human. Creatures such as an Eagle, represents ‘Freedom’ and ‘America’. Even inanimate objects can represent ideas; the light bulb represents ideas that just sparked into a character’s head.

“When the weather was warm, and his father was in a particularly jovial frame of mind, the girls made lemonade, which was always brought out in a red glass pitcher, ornamented with forget-me-nots in blue enamel. This the girls thought very fine, and the neighbors always joked about the suspicious color of the pitcher.” (5). This quote shows how the neighbors and Paul’s sisters see him as compared to the family’s flowered pitcher. The pitcher is described as always the same and ornamented, like Paul with his strange attitude and well-dressed appearance. Also, Paul is seen in his sisters’ eyes as a fine person, while the neighbors see him as strange and unusual; something they can joke about. This gives the neighbor’s reason to suspicious and joke about not only the pitcher, but Paul too. This is not only how others perceived Paul’s life as, but also how Paul understood his own life to be: strange, but

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 himself with the aesthetics of music and the rich and wealthy, as a means to escape his true reality.

With his whimsical, eccentric, and somewhat selfish outlook on life, every reader could relate—in one way or another—to Willa Cather’s protagonist in “Paul’s Case.” Paul, who just believed he was misunderstood, was continuously perceived as diverse and bizarre by his peers, neighbors, and even his own father. By not taking any interest in the dull, drab, and dim everyday life of the average person in Pittsburgh, Paul was consistently criticized and belittled by others. Along with not enjoying the typical endeavors as the average “normal” boy his age, Paul also grew up without a mother; therefore, Paul really did not receive any kind of parental love or affection. To add to it all, Willa Cather stereotypically portrayed Paul as being homosexual throughout the entire story.

The protagonist in Willa Cather's short story, "Paul's Case," is adolescent named Paul. Paul's problem is that he has trouble following rules. Paul has a problem with various kinds of authorities including his teachers, principal, and father. From Paul's perspective, his problem is society. Society does not conform to him and repeatedly makes attempts on him to conform to it. Paul is disgusted, repulsed, and bored by middle class life in Pittsburgh. Paul's real problem is that he lacks perspective. This is a young man that is ferociously hungry for life outside of a small town or small city, which is partially the reason why he steals $1,000 and flees to New York City. Paul does not have an appropriate outlet through which to explore and channel his exuberant and odd energy. It is only when he is committing suicide by throwing himself in front of an oncoming train that he is capable of imagining a life both outside of the life he left behind, but not so far outside in the margins of society that cannot be a contributing member of society. Paul craves new experiences that expand his horizons and challenge him in ways unknown to him in his life back in Pittsburgh. His lack of perspective keeps him from being available to the myriad of choices he has in life but does not yet see. Ironically, it is only when his life is about to conclude when he realizes how much he wants to live and do. These feelings are often expressed by people who have

Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.