The truth, however, is that Paul really is not as sophisticated as he would like to think and the presentation may be more external persona than an actual insight into his interior. He longs for the spoils of hard work but cannot conceive of doing the hard work that leads to the spoils. This theme is further highlighted through the use of symbolism. Equality accepted his punishment because he believed that he had sinned and agreed with the others that he had indeed been out of line, though anyone today could see that he had not done anything wrong and the only ones out of line where the teachers and council for reprimanding the poor young boy. Paul felt that these were the people he wanted to be. Studies in Short Fiction. The story is littered with such subtle clues.
Later on, Paul makes it clear to one of his teachers that his job ushering is more important than his schoolwork, causing his father to prevent him from continuing to work as an usher. It is this same quality that leads Paul to steal money from his father in order to buy a ticket to New York. Bergson and American Culture: The Worlds of Willa Cather and Wallace Stevens. While on Fifth Avenue in New York, Paul walked by a flower stand and noticed the red carnations among the other flowers. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. After helping seat the patrons in his section, he stays for the concert and enjoys the social scene while losing himself in the music.
Through lies and crime, he gains access to what he considers his real home, the New York City high life exemplified by the Waldorf Hotel. For Paul, money represents freedom; it is a way for him to escape his mediocre life and pursue his dreams. 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. He believes that money is the one way out of the existence he loathes. These ways were both positive and negative and even had a long term effect on him.
They constantly try to make themselves feel worse, which then results in their self esteem decreasing. Paul bounds upstairs, shakes a few drops of violet-water hidden in his drawer onto his hands, and boards a downtown car. His English teacher in particular feels personally aggrieved by his attitude, and in the meeting she leads the attack against Paul and his behavior. For Paul, material possessions represent a way to escape his boring and mundane life. The yellow wallpaper becomes a symbol of the drabness that Paul longs to escape.
He has no close friends, and the narrator suggests that his advances are often rebuffed. He reaches to the city. I believe that this was the theme that Willa was trying to convey because it seemed that Paul was never happy with what he had. But Paul shares their same desire: to become rich and lead a life without worry. 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. The American Dream The American Dream is an underlying theme of the story. .
It is better than his life at school and at home. The full question is: Why does Paul go to work early in the short story titled Paul's Case by Willa Cather A. Paul weaves elaborate fictions for his classmates as a way of trying to play his difference from them—which is painfully obvious to all—to his advantage. Studies in Short Fiction. However Olsen addresses this theme through symbolism whereas Lawrence uses personification.
This frustration, mixed with a desire for a luxurious lifestyle, causes him to purposely separate himself from everyone else, leading to feelings of isolation. While the other kids would assimilate into the society , he wanted to be something more. Do the worlds of business and industry, represented by Cordelia Street, destroy appreciation of culture and aesthetics, or does Paul choose to live in a world of illusion, destroying his grip on reality? After his school, he hangs around his neighbors. Besides art, Paul is also obsessed with money. After the show he begins to feel depressed and irritable, and rather than returning home he follows the soloist to the Schenley a hotel , and gazes longingly through the windows into the luxurious interior. He decides, however, that this is not the way to kill himself.
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. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. This can also be seen as the dichotomy between life and art. Theater, music, and paintings provide Paul with instant, though shallow, gratification. Paul's Case: A Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Do the worlds of business and industry, represented by Cordelia Street, destroy appreciation of culture and aesthetics, or does Paul choose to live in a world of illusion, destroying his grip on reality? Erik believed he had everything under control and thought nothing of the consequences, until later on in the book when. Studies in Short Fiction.