Paul's Case
             "Paul's Case" is a very complex yet, a familiar story. There is a certain mystery surrounding Paul. We never get his full back story on his life and why he feels the so disenchanted. The story was written in 1932 when the country was going through a brief economic rally after the Great Depression. So it is safe to say that Paul grew up during the Depression when times were hard and money was tight. His father is a miser and has strict control over the money and how it is spent. This could account for his fascination with riches and art. We know his mother died but it isn't clear on how, when, or why she died. When a young child loses his mother, it can lead to serious emotional problems. He has sisters, but he has no real interaction with them and they become an outlet for excuses to back up his lies. He reminds me of the stereotypical nerd you tease and bully in High School. The kid who, has an air of perpetual melancholy about him, does not belong to any clique is probably smarter than any of his peers and flaunts his uniqueness. Paul is simple and complex, he is the typical teenager yet he lives half of his life on a different plane of reality.
             Paul's real life is merely a dream to him even more, a nightmare. He describes coming home as a return to ugliness and commonness and a sense of drowning. His father is seemingly abusive as Paul is so afraid to be caught entering the house late that he sneaks into the rat infested cellar even though he is horribly afraid of rats. He wonders if his father would be sorry if he mistook him for a burglar and accidentally shot him. From the food eats to the bed he sleeps on, Paul completely loathes his entire existence. His life is a constant reminder that he does not belong in the ordinary world and that he is destined for greater things.
             His only means of escape from his daily torture of ordinary living is Carn...