Pauls Case by Willa Cather - 912 Words

Some say money changes you, some say money changes the people around and others say money changes everyone. In Willa Cather’s â€Å"Paul’s Case†, Paul is a teenage misfit who lives in a Pittsburgh neighborhood. The love of money is put on such a high pedestal that it consumes Paul and the way which he lives. Everything he does is influenced by his desire for wealth. His love for theater and art becomes an addiction and drive him to steal money and retreat to New York. Here, Paul experiences the â€Å"fast life† as he dines and shops expensively. Paul then realizes he is the victim of his own demise and takes his own life. Paul’s obsession with theater, luxury and the dystopian society he lives in are the reasons for his isolation and loss of life. Willa Cather provides insights to how Paul wants to feel important in his life instead of being an outsider in society. In his job, Paul works as an usher in Carnegie Hall. The narrator states,†As th e house filled, he grew more and more vivacious and animated, and the color came to his cheeks and lips. It was very much as though this were a great reception and Paul were the host.† (Cather 13). The narrator shows the reader how Paul feels more important as he helps people in the theater. It is as if the sight of people filling the room and needing Paul’s help breathes life into Paul. Author E.K. Brown writes, â€Å"He felt the pull of New York...to feel himself in the center of â€Å"the plot of all dreams†...†(Brown 1). Brown uses thisShow MoreRelatedPauls Case by Willa Cather Essay622 Words   |  3 PagesPauls Case by Willa Cather Willa Cather was born near Winchester, Virginia in 1873. At age ten, she moved with her family to Nebraska where most of her stories were set. In 1913, she began an extensive writing career which included many short stories and several novels. In her stories, she depicted the lives of prairie farmers on the great plains. She glorified them over the city dwellers. In 1922, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel One of Ours. She left behind a heritage forRead More Materialism in Pauls Case by Willa Cather Essay782 Words   |  4 Pages In Pauls Case, Willa Cather manages to apply the emotions, feelings, troubles, and thoughts of modern society, allowing the reader to relate to the story. By incorporating the same heavy burdens that bother and aggravate people in their daily lives, Willa explores the pain and treatment unwanted people experience. Obviously, nobody wants to feel rejection or alienation from the world, but instead they desire to encounter acceptance and agreement with the worlds standards. In the story, theRead More Analysis of Paul’s Case by Willa Cather Essay2549 Words   |  11 Pages According to many readers of Paul’s Case, this is a short story that shows affection, passion, and most of all enthusiasm. Willa Cather seems to base her stories off of daily life and events that she thought progressed in many lives. Her passion for writing showed in her literature giving a visualization on what people think doesn’t occur in the regular life of a person. Also throughout Willa Cather’s short stories she gave examples upon her childhood and her time spent in a small town sheRead More Analysis of Pauls Case by Willa Cather Essay1072 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of Pauls Case by Willa Cather Willa Cather’s â€Å"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 luxuriousRead MoreEssay on Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament by Willa Cather616 Words   |  3 Pagesthat you did not feel you belonged in. That is the story of Paul in â€Å"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 isRead More Pauls Case by Willa Cather - Socrates’ Perspective of the Courageous Paul1052 Words   |  5 PagesPauls Case by Willa Cather - Socrates’ Perspective of the Courageous Paul In Pauls 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 themRead MoreFree Will or Determined Analyse of â€Å"Paul’s Case† Written by Willa Cather995 Words   |  4 Pagesfree will or determined analyse of â€Å"Paul’s case† written by Willa Cather Pauls casewas a story written by the famous female writer/ journalist Willa Cather, the story explores the life of an idealistic young boy named Paul who hates his impoverished life. Paul strongly believes that he was meant to be born in a rich family instead of a mid-class home. He tries to escape from the impoverished environment of which he live in and only approaches either rich, or famous people .Sadly, in the endRead Mores Desire To Escape Society In Pauls Case By Willa Cather944 Words   |  4 PagesPaul’s Case Essay The topic of an individual’s desire to escape society is essential to understanding the human condition. Some suggest that when an individual does not fit within their community, they must seek acceptance elsewhere. However, others, believe that an individual must adapt and conform to those around them. In the short story â€Å"Paul’s Case† by Willa Cather, where Paul struggles with fitting in among the people of Cordelia Street. Initially, he attempts to escape the monotonousRead More Willa Cathers Short Story Pauls Case Essay956 Words   |  4 PagesWilla Cathers Short Story Pauls Case   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Willa Cather’s short story Paul’s Case we learn of a young man who is fighting what he fears most: to be as common and plain as his world around him. How others perceive Paul only encourages him to fulfill his dream of escaping his monotonous lifestyle. Paul feels he is drowning in his everyday environment and his only breath of air is his savior: the theater.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paul has very little interest in his class studies. This leaves him open toRead More Use of Symbols in Pauls Case Essay838 Words   |  4 Pageshave different ideas of what is actually being said. One of the many symbols in â€Å"Paul’s Case† is flower’s. From violets to carnations, the flowers Paul talks about are ones of many meanings. The flowers represent a continual motif, expressing Paul’s character. The narrator expresses the teacher’s views towards Paul’s flowers, â€Å"†¦his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Cather). Paul wears the flowers to symbolize his beauty for things. Living in a grey world