Setting In The Short Story Paul's Case
Setting plays a significant component in all stories. It can affect the characters in a way that other components cannot. In the short story “Paul’s Case” the author, Willa Cather uses a small town located in Pittsburgh as the main setting. She goes into great detail about how the environment affects Paul and how he wants to get away from Cordelia Street. Later in the story, Paul travels to New York City and lives the glamorous life he has always wanted. Carnegie Hall, Cordelia Street, school, and New York City are some of the places that are in this short story: but these settings are very significant to the story. Paul has the motivation to travel to New York City to get away from his common life in Pittsburgh, which helps move the story …show more content…
He works as an usher at Carnegie Hall where he is able to become alive. Paul transforms into a new person when he arrives in Carnegie Hall because all of the “gay colors” and prosperous people who surround him. However, one night his English teacher arrives at Carnegie Hall, which appalls Paul. He does not want a common person to come to the opulent life of the fine arts. “Paul was startled for a moment, and has the feeling of wanting to put her out; what business had she here among all these fine people and gay colors” (178). The author elaborates how his English teacher affects Paul’s mood and how it repulses Paul. When Carnegie Hall fires Paul he no longer has an escape of common life in Pittsburgh. Paul cannot tolerate this atrocious common life without his escape, which becomes the force that drives Paul to New York.
After work, Paul returns to his nightmare: Cordelia Street. Paul suffocates when he returns to his house on Cordelia Street. “Paul never went up Cordelia Street without loathing . . .the nerveless sense of defeat, the hopeless feeling of sinking back forever into ugliness and commonness that he had always had when he came home” (180). Willa Cather writes various details on how Paul hates Cordelia Street and how it affects him. This setting serves the most motivation to leave the common life of Pittsburgh to the wealthy, lively life of New York
Aspects Of Naturalism In 'Paul's Case' By Willa Cather
845 Words | 4 PagesPaul’s Case, as alluded to earlier is a story about a certain young man who is a Calvinist and he is clouded by feelings of not belonging to this life. According to the story he lived on a street named Cordelia located in Pittsburgh, and we are given an impression of a street cluttered with cookie cutter houses and city dwellers that seemed like suburbanites. According to the author, there was an aura of despair in that city. This same aura extended even to Paul’s own room. His life was a life of misery having been surrounded by a father that abused him, teachers that never cared and classmate that misunderstood him and this caused Paul to feel he is not worth to be in their presence or even company.
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669 Words | 3 PagesHave you ever felt safe somewhere, but realized your only protection was ignorance? In Jacqueline Woodson’s When a Southern Town Broke a Heart, she introduces the idea that as you grow and change, so does your meaning of home. Over the course of the story, Woodson matures and grows older, and her ideas about the town she grew up in become different. When she was a nine year old girl, Woodson and her sister returned to their hometown of Greenville, South Carolina by train. During the school year, they lived together in Downtown Brooklyn, and travelled to.
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419 Words | 2 PagesThis setting is important because it is where the story is told from.
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1105 Words | 5 PagesNot knowing if he could keep living or not. He explains how he say his neighbor started killing also. The same neighbor he invited over to eat dinner with and play with his kids. Being in fear all the time can lead to some depressing thought on, which Paul has said in his story. Words meant a lot to Paul, he states that his parents generation were told as kids that they are ugly and will never be capable of running business
So I Ain T No Good Girl Analysis
601 Words | 3 PagesA Critique Essay of “So I Ain’t No Good Girl” “So I Ain’t No Good Girl” by Sharon Flake is a short story about a rebellion teenage girl going through a realistic problem in a relationship. Flake added a realistic setting to influence the relationship between characters, showing someone is a relationship cheating with another person. The teenager is struggling with her neighbors pointing out her flaws; things relating to behavior and looks.
What Is The Theme Of The Ghost Boys Chapter Summary
1037 Words | 5 PagesIt’s a dangerous neighborhood that forces people like Jerome’s mother to be vigilant about the area. (Gavin) Certainly, the setting does intensify the theme of the book. And speaking of which it also connects to the theme of the book. The theme is a dark/sad theme talking about racism and police brutality.
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554 Words | 3 PagesThe setting is important because it is usually what creates the conflict and puts the story together. In addition, the setting also creates the mood of the reader. Additionally, the setting is the reason why all the characters act they way they do. The setting in The Outsiders is an old and bad neighborhood which could cause the reader to feel sad for the characters or angry. To conclude, the setting in The Outsiders plays a very important role on creating the characters’ personalities and showing how cautious, and tense
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1540 Words | 7 PagesMeanwhile, Paul himself is another character whom Morrison uses to achieve mimesis. He keeps his emasculating torments as a slave in a “tin can” where his heart used to be, which he is unwilling to open because he feared if Sethe “got a whiff of the contents it would really shame him” (Morrison 85). His time as a slave made him see himself as a property rather than a man, which results in his loss of identity and repression of emotions, as well as prevents him from connecting with Sethe. His inability to convey his love prevents him from accepting and moving on from his trauma, and therefore creates pity.
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469 Words | 2 PagesThe setting shapes the mood and tone of a story and has a great affect on what happens in a story. The setting influences the events that take place, how the characters interact and even how they behave. Settings show where and how the character lives, what they do, and what they value. Characters have a relationship with the setting just as much as they do with other characters in the story. This is seen in the effects the setting has on the development of the Character Elisa in the story “The Chrysanthemums.”
Theme Of Death In All Quiet On The Western Front
1221 Words | 5 PagesThe first time Paul is clearly near dying, he fears for his life but tries to hide his emotions acting as if he doesn’t notice them. He panics, expressing “These first minutes with the mask decide between life and death: is it air-tight?” (68) concealing his worrisome in a single question. As the war continues, Paul learns to be more accepting of death, personally witnessing and coming so close to it. These experiences cause him to lose his emotions, the factor causing his primary anxiety over death.
Analysis Of Short Story 'The Strangers That Came To Town'
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A Character Analysis Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather
1375 Words | 6 PagesNothing mattered in his town, except for one thing: Carnegie Hall, where he worked as an usher. It is shown through his excitement when he was there. Paul took pride in his job as an usher; he felt a sense of belonging for the firs time in his city. “He carried messages and brought programs as though it were his greatest pleasure in life, and all the people in his section thought him a charming boy, feeling that he remembered and admired them.” (Cather 403) When he first arrived, he seemed always to be in such a rush to get dress.
Gender Stereotypes In Stephen King's Misery
1456 Words | 6 PagesAs we’ve already covered, Paul was tortured by Annie throughout the novel, and although initially had no way to protect himself, he was secretly lifting his typewriter “…like some weird barbell…” (p.217) to gain physical strength. While “…another part of him, more calculating and less cowed, which reminded him that he could not play the part of Scheherazade if he grew frightened and placatory when ever she stormed” (p.64), reminding him to keep his mind strong. Paul did make an attempt to get help when he saw the Police car in Annie’s driveway by throwing an ashtray out the window, where King provided perfect imagery of Paul as the damsel in distress. And although further tortured for his actions, he keep “…thinking: I’m going to kill her” (p.44).
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