paul's case theme

Until now he could not remember the time when he had not been dreading something. He thinks almost constantly about the humiliation of those who have little money and the power wielded by those who possess lots of it. Written by Julia Wolf, Harsimran Kaur and other people who wish to remain anonymous " Paul's Case " by Willa Cather is a short story that portrays misunderstanding, problems that caused by all-or-nothing thinking, parents’ neglectfulness and unwillingness to have a look at a case from a child’s point of view. -Graham S. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Instead, he consumes art voraciously and unthinkingly, as if it is an addictive drug. Curricular Indicators Satisfied by a Unit Devoted to “Paul’s Case” Chief Learning Objectives: 1. Paul's Case Summary. Drawing master Cather suggests strongly that Paul has homosexual leanings that make his life difficult and contribute to how alienated he feels from others. Brief Biography of Willa Cather Though born in Virginia, Willa Cather has come to be associated with the plains of Nebraska, where she and her family moved when she was ten years old. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Through subtle and not-so-subtle allusions to Paul’s sexual…, “Paul’s Case” describes Paul’s socioeconomic background as middle-class and his neighbors as “burghers” (a term originally describing people who had to work to make money rather than living off inherited wealth). He believes that some people are born rich and others are born poor and dismisses the idea that in America, the boundaries between the two groups are fluid. Theater, music, and paintings provide Paul with instant, though shallow, gratification. That term is, in fact, a clue to how Cather wants to both explore and critique Paul’s own disdain for hard work and the need to make a living. Teachers and parents! In-depth explanations of Paul's Case: A Study in Temperament's themes. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. One thing is for sure: the very thought of ending up living a life of middle-class conformity terrifies him more than the concept of the abyss. This story brings out the life of this young boy as one that is full of desires and dreams but he cannot work to fulfill them. They spend a night on the town together but do not become friends. I have to write 3 thesis sentences on: what the motivation was for the main characters climatic action. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Setting is used in the story to explain the actions of characters and put their actions into context The social setting is very influential on Paul He uses society's expectations to determine how he should live his life and how he wants to be seen by people. 897 Words Paul has been accused of being smart-alecky and disrespectful toward the faculty at Pittsburgh High School, which was why he was suspended for a week. He came before a panel of selected faculty and requested to be let back into school. Struggling with distance learning? Symbols usually make the important ideas stick out as well as make the reader have different ideas of what is actually being said. Paul, the adolescent protagonist of “Paul’s Case,” suffers from worse than usual teenage angst. In the second half of the story, the plot shifts to New York City, when Paul flees Pittsburgh to live a lavish lifestyle out of the Waldorf Hotel. Modern readers might find her portrait of his homosexuality shallow and uncomfortably stereotypical: Paul is petrified by rats, splashes cologne on himself, and is fastidious about odors and dirt. It affected him in unexpected ways. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Cather emphasizes Paul’s unintellectual response to art by pointing out that he does not read novels. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been & Paul's Case Words: 1837 Pages: 7; Paul’s Case Analysis Words: 1709 Pages: 7; D H Lawrence's Rocking Horse Winner Theme Words: 401 Pages: 2; Lack of Mother’s Love Leads to Self Destruction in D. H. Lawrence’s The Rocking Horse Winner Words: 761 Pages: 3; Who am I this time Words: 712 Pages: 3 Paul's Case Paul was a self-oriented boy, concerned with money, wealth, and glamour, raised in a Calvinist household that supported these ideals. The description continually discusses Paul's "insolence" and anything abnormal or unbecoming parts of his appearance (234-235). For Paul, the need to worry about money at all is depressing and embarrassing: for…, Instant downloads of all 1428 LitChart PDFs Although he seems to achieve a certain acceptance from a few groups and individuals, the details are so vague that we can assume the acceptance was hardly overt or fulfilling. When his old middleclass life threatens to reclaim him, Paul commits suicide. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. In Willa Cather’s short story “Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperance” the protagonist, Paul, is a unique and complex character, which gives insight into the complexity of his creator. In “Paul’s Case,” art acts as a dangerous drug, and Paul’s addiction to it causes him endless problems. 4. Paul’s father and the young clerk discuss just such men as Paul listens on the front porch. They agreed with the faculty and with his father that Paul's was a bad case. He believes that money is the one way out of the existence he loathes. Through my research I have decided that Paul's eventual fate was not any one person's fault. Paul ’s case is one of raging against the powers that be. The east-bound train was plowing through a January snow-storm; the dull dawn was beginning to show gray, when the engine whistled a mile out of Newark. You can view our. College boy from San Francisco: The college boy from San Francisco is a Yale University student who Paul meets in New York City. Paul was just as much to … Willa Cather's story "Paul's Case" was first published in 1905. He has no close friends, and the narrator suggests that his advances are often rebuffed. Paul's Case Analysis 4 Pages. This Study Guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Paul's Case. Taken from her The Troll Garden collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Cather may be exploring the theme of hostility. Because Paul is so certain that he was destined for wealth, it comes as no surprise when he steals $1,000 in cash from his company. The narrator’s attitude towards Paul’s … My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, read analysis of Art and Artificiality vs. The story of “Paul’s Case” was not wistfully imagined with the inclination to tell a pleasant story of light-hearted entertainment; the immaculate conception of the character Paul and his corresponding case is one of forced emotional expression under the pressures of a society that renounces those who with homosexual tendencies and the isolation that accompanies the concealing of such a secret. This common theme dealt with wealth and how it affected our main character, Paul. Much as addicts use their drug of choice to escape their everyday lives, Paul uses art to escape his own consciousness. “Paul’s Case” written by Willa Cather not only offers an entertaining read with content which at first glance can come off as merely a story, but when read closely it becomes evident that there are substantial themes being explored through Cather’s protagonist, Paul, along with his predicament. “Paul’s Case” is sprinkled with a variety of allusions, or references to cultural figures and works. Paul’s Case Theme Essay (votes: 1) Willa Cather’s story, Paul’s Case, revolves around the life of a young man named Paul. His high does not linger, and coming down from it is difficult. In escaping to the big…, As the story describes the way Paul perceives his dull, drab life in Pittsburgh—a dullness that he attempts to mitigate by constructing fantasy worlds full of wealth and art—it is in many ways sympathetic to Paul’s despair and alienation. Paul’s Case: Theme Wheel An interactive data visualization of Paul’s Case 's plot and themes. It is also possible that the two boys shared an encounter that left both of them embarrassed and upset. Paul is obsessed with money, and his belief that money will solve all his problems leads to unrelenting disappointment in his life. The prospect of heterosexual relations seems to repulse Paul. 3. A description of Paul’s response to the theater, for instance, includes a reference to the opera Martha, by Friedrich von Fl… In the end, Paul’s obsession with money and failure to understand it are key causes of his downfall. Paul’s Unexpected Consequences After reading “Paul’s Case” which was written by “Willa Cather” and its movie, which was directed by Lamont Johnson, there was a common theme between both the movie and the book. In some sense, he feels that he deserves money without working for it. It goes on to discuss his "insolence" has "physical aversion" which he aggrieved the teachers with (235). He had been suspended a week ago, and his father had called at the Principal's office and confessed his perplexity about his son. Her protagonist is repulsed by the reality of middle-class Pittsburgh and turns to Romanticism as a method of escape. Some of these deal with disguises and help point out the way Paul’s life is woven with deception. The narrator describes this change in the space of one sentence, which suggests how quickly the tone of the relationship goes from hot to cold. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! To understand how literary texts interact with their cultural contexts. When he gazes at the painting in the Carnegie Hall gallery and again when he listens to the symphony, he is described as losing himself. The flowers represent a continual motif, expressing Paul’s character. Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament 2. It was the last of seven stories in her first collection, The Troll Garden, which launched Cather's literary career.When the story was printed in McClure's in May of the same year, it brought Cather to national attention. Paul further believes that he was meant to be rich and that only by some terrible mistake was he born poor. Although Paul feels happiest and most alive when he is surrounded by art—at the theater, listening to music, or gazing at paintings—his happiness is an illusion because he does not truly understand what he sees. Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament The Danger of Misunderstanding Money Paul is obsessed with money, and his belief that money will solve all his problems leads to unrelenting disappointment in his life. The kind of vocation is not specified, and we infer that Paul has an affinity both for the theater and for men, as does Charley. ARTIST: Giorgio MoroderTITLE: Pauls' Theme (Jogging Chase)FILM: Cat People YEAR: 1982 Paul’s Case Willa Cather . Paul views the small economies of his neighbors disdainfully, believing that only he understands the best way of building wealth. From violets to carnations, the flowers Paul talks about are ones of many meanings. The aftermath, however, is ugly, and Paul is shaken and irritable after his bouts with the arts. In 1920 the story was reprinted by Alfred Knopf in Youth and the Bright Medusa. The fathers around him pinch pennies and pass on their thrifty ways to their children, taking pleasure in their skill with arithmetic and ability to accumulate coins in piggybanks. Anything that requires sustained concentration or intellectual appreciation, such as novels, is too time-consuming. Although Paul feels happiest and most alive when he is surrounded by art—at the theater, listening to music, or gazing at paintings—his happiness is an illusion because he does not truly understand what he sees. It was Paul's afternoon to appear before the faculty of the Pittsburgh High School to account for his various misdemeanors. Paul’s homosexuality makes him feel deeply alienated from society. The mundane, middle-class world of Cordelia Street and Pittsburgh High School does not know what to make of Paul—in large part, the story suggests, because he is gay. But it becomes clear that Paul will never become one of the prosperous men he idealizes because he has no understanding of the relationship between work and money. For many years "Paul's Case" was the only one of her stories that Cather allowed to be anthologized. He keenly analyzes his own slightly impoverished existence and hates every detail: cramped houses, grubby bathrooms, simple clothes, women’s inelegant conversations, and men’s worshipful attitude toward their bosses. The narrator points out that there are boys like Paul who started at the bottom of the ladder and worked their way up until they became kings. When Paul meets the rich student from Yale, he makes a brief connection, and the two share a wild night out on the town. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He tussles with the other young ushers at the theater and latches on to Charley Edwards, who allows Paul to help him dress for performances. He is unsettled, for example, by the young clerk’s marriage to a nearsighted schoolmistress and by the couple’s four children. Paul sneers at this petty fixation on money, not understanding that the careful accumulation of funds is the best chance that he or anyone in his neighborhood has of moving up in the world. For example, the narrator writes that although the music at Carnegie Hall means nothing to Paul, he loves it because it lets loose “some hilarious and potent spirit within him.” This phrase describes an involuntary but highly pleasurable reaction, similar to the reaction inspired by addiction. The only woman who interests Paul is the soprano he sees at Carnegie Hall, a middle-aged woman described as “the mother of many children” and a clear substitute for Paul’s own deceased mother. The narrator notes that Charley thinks Paul has a vocation. He thinks almost constantly about the humiliation of those who have little money and the power wielded by those who possess lots of it. One of the many symbols in “Paul’s Case” is flower’s. 2. To relate the work to oneself and to the larger culture. Paul is most interested in boys. The American Dream is an underlying theme of the story. A Study in Temperament. Whatever happened, Paul is again left alone, and the stage is set for his solitary descent into despair. LitCharts Teacher Editions. In the beginning of Paul's Case the reader is presented the story from the point of view of his teachers. The Self-Absorption of the Clinically Depressed. The clerk is a man in Paul's neighborhood who is married with four children. He longs for the spoils of hard work but cannot conceive of doing the hard work that leads to the spoils. Start studying Short Stories Quiz - Paul's Case. To learn how to analyze the symbolic meanings of texts. The story begins in Pittsburgh, where Paul seeks an escape from his drab, dismal home and school life through the world of theatre and performances at Carnegie Hall. Perhaps, though, he is just another rebel without a cause. It was first published in McClure's Magazine in 1905 under the title "Paul's Case: A Study in Temperament" and was later shortened. He avoids books, the narrator says, because “he got what he wanted much more quickly from music.” Just like an addict in search of a fix, Paul needs to consume art as easily and fast as he can. A constant nuisance to his teacher’s, Paul belittles the world around him with a sort of arrogance. It also appeared in a collection of Cather's stories, The Troll Garden (1905). Analysis of Paul’s Case “Paul’s Case,” by Willa Cather tells the story of a young boy who is disillusioned by his suburban lifestyle. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Even when he was a little boy it was always there—behind him, or … But although their friendship begins with “confiding warmth,” they part coldly. Paul's father wishes Paul to follow in the clerk's footsteps. II. In Paul’s Case by Willa Cather we have the theme of hostility, respect, freedom, escape, corruption, determination and commitment. Paul's Case - Explanation of Title detective case in which narrator states information gathered psychiatric case that attempts to explore and describe Paul's unique personality such as Sigmund Freud's Dora: Fragment of an Analysis a Case of Hysteria The theme of a story is the idea or concept that the story examines. The theme of " Paul's Case " is that when the world of illusion, of the superficial, becomes too appealing to us, it can destroy us. “In “Paul’s Case,” art acts as a dangerous drug, and Paul’s addiction to it causes him endless problems. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." In the beginning of the story, Paul is seen as a different boy, living in a normal, middle class home. Romanticism versus Reality In " Paul 's Case" Willa Cather displays the gritty literary realism that she is known for. It is possible that the change occurs because Paul made a pass at the Yale student and was turned down. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. "Paul's Case" is a short story by Willa Cather. “Paul’s Case” describes Paul’s socioeconomic background as middle-class and his neighbors as “burghers” (a term originally describing people who had to work to make money rather than living off inherited wealth). “Paul’s Case” centers on a high school student so taken by the life of wealth and culture that he runs away to New York City on stolen money to live lavishly, if only for a while. Reality, read analysis of Alienation and Homosexuality, Easy-to-use guides to literature, poetry, literary terms, and more, Super-helpful explanations and citation info for over 30,000 important quotes, Unrestricted access to all 50,000+ pages of our website and mobile app. But while Paul is fascinated by the exotic haunts and exploits of these rich men, he has no interest at all in the “cash-boy stage” of their lives, those first days when they were as poor as he is. (including. He then becomes wealthy, and then gets caught up in his own destruction. Very concerned with “Paul’s Case” is a rag to riches story; Paul lives a poor, dull, normal life and is always in search of something more.

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