An analysis of pauls case, a story by willa cather. Paul s case his teachers felt, this afternoon, that hiswilla cather whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower, and they fell upon i him without mercy. Analysis of pauls case pauls case, by willa cather tells the story of a young boy who is disillusioned by his suburban lifestyle. Willa cather has had an enduring appeal as a novelist, but pauls case and other stories shows that she was also skilled in the short story genre.
The theme of suicide in pauls case by willa cather. His clothes were a trifle outgrown and the tan velvet on the collar of his open overcoat was frayed and worn. Paul is a strange young man, often leaving his peers confused about his actions and his motives. See a complete list of the characters in pauls case. The movie has slight differences from the book, but the director lamont johnson follows the original closely. The pauls case community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Paul is tall and narrowshouldered, with enlarged pupils that remind one of a drug addicts eyes.
Essay analysis of willa cather s paul s case willa cathers pauls case is an examination into the nature of upward social mobility. Pauls teachers and father refer to paul as a case, representing him at a. The plot begins with the exposition, which is pauls failure to pay attention and rebellious acts. A summary and analysis of the symbolisms in pauls case by. It was first published in mcclures magazine in 1905 under the title pauls case. Symbolism of paul in pauls case english literature essay. He stood through it, smiling, his pale lips parted over his white teeth. The american dream is an underlying theme of the story. Paul s dad who was talking to a young man was of a ruddy complexion, with a compressed, red mouth, and faded, nearsighted eyes, over which he wore thick spectacles, with gold bows that curved about his ears. Her short story, pauls case, tells about a young man who does not feel he belongs in.
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 pauls case. However, most of the necessary literary elements were present. The alienation actually sent paul out to go and look for some aesthetics given their absence from his yellow wallpaper. His english teacher in particular feels personally aggrieved by his attitude, and in the meeting she leads the attack against paul and his behavior. Willa cathers pauls case is a good example of a work adapted to video. This was a lie, but paul was quite accustomed to lyingfound it, indeed, indispensable for overcoming friction. Paul s case is useful in student discussions of adolescent issues and adolescent suicide. Critical analysis of pauls case essay example graduateway. A study in temperament lyrics i he had been suspended a week ago, and his father had called at the principals office and confessed his perplexity about his son. In regard to this subject matter, her assertion consists of the concept that the advancement from ones social class is not possible. It also appeared in a collection of cathers stories, the troll garden 1905. The extreme case of a market economy, in which the.
More accurately, it it is example of pauls flamboyance. In the conclusion to the short story, pauls case, we learn about the fate of the young man who didnt like living in an industrial town. Analysis of pauls case by willa cather 1076 words 123. He had been suspended a week ago, and his father had called at the principal s office and confessed his perplexity about his son. Pauls case, written by willa cather, tells the story of paul, a young man who is always in search of something more in his life. Pauls case is useful in student discussions of adolescent issues and adolescent suicide. He then becomes wealthy, and then gets caught up in his own destruction. Cather writes the short story pauls case in third person omniscient. The insult was so involuntary and definitely personal as to be. 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.
Paul was tall for his age and very thin, with high, cramped shoulders and a. Theme pauls actions society can prevent people from reaching the american dream by not accepting their differences and alienating them. Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of pauls cases themes. One afternoon, all his teachers at pittsburgh high school met together with him to discuss his case. Pauls alternative lifestyle is further demonstrated in his love. Notes page pauls case characterization read the first 10 paragraphs of pauls case and record examples from the story which reveal pauls character. From another perspective, pauls problem could be his perspective of dullness of his normal bourgeois life, rather than his sexual nonconformity. Pauls case and other stories dover thrift editions. Essentially, it is about a young man, sixteen years of age, best described as an alien as a result of being motherless. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on willa cathers pauls case.
Pauls case is actually the story of a boy who prefers a feminine lifestyle. It was pauls afternoon to appear before the faculty of the pittsburg high school to account for his various misdemeanors. Heres where youll find analysis of the story as a whole. A study in temperament, cather is saying not only that this is a pretty interesting dude even if hes also pretty annoying, but also that we can use this study to understand people like paul.
Analysis of pauls case willa cather 593 words 3 pages. Pauls case notes notes page pauls case characterization. Paul, however, never loses his smile, though his fingers do nervously tremble a bit. Pauls case willa cather pages 1 9 text version fliphtml5. In your introduction, state the theme of the novel. However, cather portrays pauls father as a deeply generous man who provides for his children and looks after their wellbeing. Pauls father and the rest of cordelia street, a perfectly. It was paul s afternoon to appear before the faculty of the pittsburg high school to account for his various misdemeanors. Pauls case his teachers felt, this afternoon, that hiswilla cather whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower, and they fell upon i him without mercy. Read this english case study and over 89,000 other research documents.
Discussion of themes and motifs in willa cathers pauls case. A study in temperament quiz that tests what you know about important details and events in the book. Pauls case suggests that pauls primary problem is his failure to realize that true wealth does not lie in money. The protagonist is introduced to the reader as a trouble maker who. A study in temperament and indepth analyses of paul. The story begins with pauls faculty hearing one week after he has been suspended from school. Discussion of themes and motifs in willa cather s paul s case. The movie has slight differences from the book, but.
They, the teachers, and pauls father all think pauls is a bad case. It also appeared in a collection of cather s stories, the troll garden 1905. Wiila cather was a pulitzer prizewinning american author. Paul lives a poor, dull, normal life and is always in search of something more.
In this story, society can be defined as his father, cordelia street and all those who lived there and held him down. The story begins with paul s faculty hearing one week after he has been suspended from school. Just like freuds dora became the typical example of a hysterical woman, we can take paul to be the typical example of. Literary analysis argument pauls case essay example. Themes unhealthy obsession lies and deceit dreams, hopes, and plans wealth power symbols the sudden rain storm metaphoric barrier between the glowing life inside the concert hall and his dreary life. Pauls case character analysis by ellie strang on prezi. Access free textbook solutions and ask 5 free questions to expert tutors 247. For many years pauls case was the only one of her stories that cather allowed to be anthologized. In your thesis, explain how the theme is developed. The faculty members have a difficult time articulating their true feelings about paul. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. A while later, following the boasting incidence about carnegie hall s stock crew, the faculty and paul s father, along with the members of carnegie hall, concurred that paul s case was a bad one. Pauls case the short story essay 932 words 4 pages.
Literary analysis argument pauls case essay graduateway. Deep within pauls heart is a romantic dream of finding the fancy life of arts such as operas and theaters, beauty and glamour, and which is completely different from the normal world. For many years paul s case was the only one of her stories that cather allowed to be. Curricular indicators satisfied by a unit devoted to pauls case. Courtney duban english 202 42714 pauls case by willa cather in the short story, pauls case by willa cather, a young male named paul, has his own life of dreams but consequences that later come with it. Paul generally seems intensely, even physically disgusted by his teachers. A study in temperament is a short story by willa cather that was first published in 1905. Critical analysis pauls case was not, by any means, my favorite short movie. Any aspirations to achieve it are, thus, considered to be futile. He has no interest in books, which might have helped him to imagine other possibilities. The home monthly is sold, and cather gets work writing drama and book.
A while later, following the boasting incidence about carnegie halls stock crew, the faculty and pauls father, along with the members of carnegie hall, concurred that pauls case was a bad one. In your body paragraphs, give specific examples from the narrative in which the author developed the theme. He also identifies the literary topos of opera queendom, commingled here as it often is with. The pieces in this book i refer to the dover thrift edition, all originally published between 1892 and 1920, are as follows.
He had been suspended a week ago, and his father had called at the principals office and confessed his perplexity about his son. Pauls father, in pauls view, is simply a potential disciplinarian. Her short story, paul s case, tells about a young man who does not feel he belongs in his home town. Kelby watkins pauls case pg 4 18 1 through the critical approach through the eyes of a clinicians case study, i examined the protagonist, paul, and his source of conflict, or the antagonist, society. This section concludes with the implication that pauls dreams are unrealistic in part because even art relies on moneyand that theres no escaping from the difficult realities of everyday life. Pauls dad who was talking to a young man was of a ruddy complexion, with a compressed, red mouth, and faded, nearsighted eyes, over which he wore thick.
Paul s case suggests that paul s primary problem is his failure to realize that true wealth does not lie in money. In pauls case, willa cather uses symbolism along with a theatrical structure to illustrate the life of a young man who lives his life as though it were a play. The approximate chronological sequence used here, which will be discussed as we proceed, is as follows. It was pauls afternoon to appear before the faculty of the pittsburg high school. It was first published in mcclure s magazine in 1905 under the title paul s case.
Lou, the prophet, eric hermannsons soul, the enchanted bluff. In the conclusion to the short story, paul s case, we learn about the fate of the young man who didnt like living in an industrial town. It was pauls afternoon to appear before the faculty of the pittsburgh high school to account for his various misdemeanors. A study in temperament is a short story by willa cather that. Paul may seem like the typical juvenile delinquent whose only motivations in life are to mock and annoy others to get the attention he so desires.
He also identifies the literary topos of opera queendom, commingled here as it often is. An analysis of the story pauls case who described willa cathers belief in the early 1900s. A constant nuisance to his teachers, paul belittles the world around him with a sort of arrogance. Paul was a misfit and was unable to accept the drab reality of his daily life. Pauls case was also released as a bookon tape by harpercollins in 1981. May 31, 2007 pauls case by willa cather paul entered the faculty room suave and smiling. As a result, the major characters of the two paul and willy loman correspondingly demonstrate similar kind of behavioral outlines as well as draw out comparable. Get the entire pauls case litchart as a printable pdf. It is a testimony to the reality of youthful dissatisfactions and the common failure of families to understand and of schools to be helpful. The strangeness is best depicted by pauls physical appearance, his master had noted with amazement what a white, blueveined face it was. My essay will concentrate on the first two books, city of glass and ghosts, mainly. Mar 26, 2015 wiila cather was a pulitzer prizewinning american author.