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Brief Summary Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather

1072 Words5 Pages

Trapped in a state of emotionless disorientation, Paul walks cluelessly through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania wishing for an extravagant life. In Paul’s Case by Willa Cather we hear of a young lad set apart and longing for luxury. He never found that, so taking his life into his own hands, he commits suicide. “As he fell, the folly of his haste occurred to him with merciless clearness, the vastness of what he left undone.” There are kids lost and hurting who need someone who will care for them. Sooner or later we need to look up and notice these struggling children and devote our time and energy to them. They need theses things more than we do. The story opens by Paul coming into school or rather ‘court’ it seemed. The author describes the scene as if it were a trial, Paul pleads, the teachers lay down their chargers, and finally Paul’s defense. Cather describes Paul as being use to lying to get over conflict, so for his plea he lies says he wants to go back to school. Second, the teachers lay down their deepest, ugliest …show more content…

It overwhelms him with thought. Cather could tell us what he is thinking, but she decides not too. For the enhancement of Paul’s mystery and passion for art. Also, we see he becomes a new person as he goes to work. Putting on the usher uniform transforms him into a dedicated and devoted innocent boy. No task is too inconvenient for him, Cather writes, every mission is done with a smile. The smile we see from the beginning, lacking something unwritten. His expressions, being just a smile, are a sign of happiness to most individuals, but for Paul it’s his safety net. He uses it to show his strength; it symbolizes his class and status. The reality and unlternatereality are intermingled in Paul’s mind, yet they are completely different. He is enticed by the art all around him, so when he leaves the real world, to create or play out a fantasy, it builds a high one wouldn’t want to come down

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