Brief Summary Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather

As mortal human beings, we all tend to feel out of control when it comes to dealing with certain aspects of our lives. Sometimes, we may feel so trapped in the routine of our everyday lives that we feel like we could spiral into a severe state of catastrophe. This forces us to either change our lives significantly or to abandon them completely. In the short story, “Paul’s Case”, the author, Willa Cather, introduced the persona Paul, who felt confined by “the hopelessness feeling of sinking back into ugliness and commonness”, and who would do anything to move away from Cordelia Street’s “colorless existence”. Paul, the young boy exasperated by everyday life, was looking for an easy way out. The only thing that distracted Paul from his immense

In school, Paul was always getting himself into trouble, there were many times that he faced the harsh criticisms of his teachers and was consistently called in for parent-teacher conferences. During such times, Paul entered the “faculty room suave and smiling” with a red carnation in his buttonhole, as if nothing the instructors said had affected him in any way. He was, as his teachers described him, “hysterically defiant” and “not strong” emotionally. As an escape from his mundane life, Paul went to Carnegie Hall where he worked as an usher and a very good one at that. People who attended the productions at the theater told Paul that he was a very “charming boy”, which was news to Paul considering his reputation at school. Paul thoroughly enjoyed helping the spectators find their seats and gladly brought them whatever they needed, but most of all, he loved watching the productions. Listening to the orchestra sent Paul into a hypnotic trance and that was what made it his favorite place to be. Constantly amazed by the pristine look of the Hall, Paul realized