A Look at "Paul's Case"

             In the short story "Paul's Case", by Wila Cather, the author tells the gripping and tragic story of a working class boy, named Paul who desperately wants to be a part of the high society and so steals money from his employer. Paul is first seen at a meeting with teachers about his previous actions at school. After the meeting, Paul goes to his only sanctuary, the local theater. "Paul sank into one of the rear seats with a long sigh of relief, and lost himself as he had done before" (182). His problems at school and at home grow bigger, which leads to Paul being withdrawn from school to work at a stock company. After stealing the company's deposit money, Paul goes to New York City and stays at the Waldorf Astoria. Paul then spends the next few days buying expensive clothes, eating fine food: "He was exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be" (188). After he runs out of money Paul begins to think about a life without money, and how he would have to return to his depressing home. Paul ends his life by throwing himself in front of a train. Cather's main idea in "Paul's Case" seems to be that life's excesses cannot fully bring an escape from the reality of what life is.
             In the story "Paul's Case", the reader is exposed to the life of a boy who hates the life he lived in, and long for the life he wishes he could have. From the start of the book, the first descriptions of Paul were the negative remarks about him from his teachers. "His teachers were asked to state their respective charges against him, which they did with such a rancor and aggrievedness as evinced that this was not a usual case" (180). Paul is known for being a problem case, and the author makes that very apparent. The only time Paul seems happy is when he is at the theater. When arriving at work, Paul "began excitedly to tumble into his uniform"(182). Paul's character seems to be
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A Look at "Paul's Case". (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 11:29, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25383.html