Paul's Case Essay

Paul 's Unhealthy Desire in Paul's Case In her short story "Paul's Case," Willa Cather tells the tale of a young boy's struggle to separate himself from his common, everyday life and the people he shared it with. Paul admired the opulence of the theater, the wardrobe, the perfumes, the lights, the colors, the flowers, and the champagne. When he realized it wasn't possible to have these things, he threw his life away. Cather's purpose was to show that, by focusing on what he didn't have, Paul

In the first few paragraphs, Paul's teachers describe him as “offensive” and are even intimidated by the boy. The teachers describe him as “accustomed to lying” (3) and disorderly. Despite the negative views the teachers have for Paul, I am interested to know why he acts this way and what his personality is around something he loves. He reminds me a lot of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, so I do not want to label him “disinterested in school” just yet. Because he is similar to Tom and Huck, I want

that you did not feel you belonged in. That is the story of Paul in “Paul’s Case,” written by Willa Cather. He lived in a suburban home where everyone seemed the same and there was a feeling of despair. Paul, who was a young man, felt that his father, teachers and classmates misunderstood him and therefore were unworthy of his company. In the story there are many symbolic elements. Flowers, for instance, symbolize Paul’s personality and life. The parallel between the boy and the flowers is

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

Willa Cather’s short story, “Paul’s Case,” demonstrates the toxic effects of narcissism and materialistic greed on one particular young man named Paul. In the story, Paul feels extremely unsatisfied with his common lifestyle, and he resorts to fantasizing and mimicking the rich, leaving him out of touch with reality. Paul’s vain nature indicates that he prefers and feels entitled to a more lavish lifestyle; this attitude illustrates symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder, which Paul seems

“Paul’s Case”, written by Willa Cather, focuses on the actions and circumstances of a character named Paul. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, written by Ambrose Bierce, on the other hand, follows the events of Peyton Farquhar. Each of these stories has strong messages, ideas, and development. However, these two stories are written with very different approaches to key literary ideas. Important takeaways and ideas that can be taken away from either of these two stories can differ drastically from

The Conflict Between Conformity and Individuality in Willa Cather's Paul's Case Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” displays the conflict between conformity and individuality through the main character, Paul. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and stifle his unique imagination. However, his lying, stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for

Paul's Case by Willa Cather - Socrates’ Perspective of the Courageous Paul In "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, Paul becomes aware of the fact that his life is not exactly what could be called "liveable." His physical home leaves something to be desired, his teachers clearly dislike him, and his father is not the "model" father. Paul feels that these things are unjust and detrimental to his life. Due to the unjust things in his life, he decides to rid himself of them

Loss of Self in Hemingway's Soldiers Home, Cather's Paul's Case, and Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener       Hemingway's "Soldiers Home," Cather's "Paul's Case," and Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener" all present a loss of self. These stories prove that there is a fine line between finding one's self and losing one's self. I believe this loss can occur at any age or station of life. This idea is seen in each story's main character. Hemingway's "Soldier's Home" depicts a young man in

Gone Too Soon Willa Cather did a great job with the short story, Paul’s Case, by connecting it to realism. Through this book, we go through the life of Paul and see the world through his eyes. Cather helps the reader connect with the emotions Paul feels and what leads him to commit suicide. Was Paul depressed, maybe even gay, or bullied for being the ‘weird kid’ in school? Research shows that about 20% of teenagers commit suicide from many different things (Standfordchildrens.org). Suicide is a