Summary Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather

Alienation: “The state or experience of being isolated from a group or activity to which one should belong to or in which one should be involved.” People who are considered different can easily be pushed out or away from society. People with mental health issues can often find themselves outside of society, not feeling accepted or welcomed because they are different which makes everything worse. In the short story “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, this is Paul’s situation. Paul is mentally ill and by the tragic ending of this story, this is made very apparent. Paul is alienated from society because he is different, mentally ill. He does not fit in, therefore creating an escape world of his own, further alienating himself, and further causing pain for himself in the long run. Through situational irony, color symbolism, and fantasy, Willa Cather exposes the alienation from society people with mental health issues face. Paul escapes from reality to make him happy so often that it ends up hurting him in the long run. This ironic twist is what Cather uses to analyze the alienation from society. Paul only feels truly happy when he is working at Carnegie Hall or looking at art. In the beginning of the story,

This, in the end made him more depressed, and alienated himself from everyone around him. Willa Cather uses this irony to reveal how the mentally ill can easily alienate themselves from society. In Paul’s mind the color yellow was associated with his home, which he hated so much, thus literally pushing himself away from his home, and school. In New York Paul pulls out that darkness inside of him even though running to New York is supposed to further prevent that. He can not escape reality or live in a dream forever, therefore, ending his life. Through irony, symbolism, and fantasy, Willa Cather reveals how people with mental health issues can alienate themselves from