Symbolism In Paul's Case: A Study In Temperament?

In the opening scene of Paul’s Case, the author notes the vibrant, red carnation that Paul wears to his disciplinary meeting and the teacher’s distaste of what they believe the flower symbolizes referring to it as a, “scandalous red carnation” and how, “his whole attitude was symbolized by...his flippantly red carnation flower” (114). A defiant student, shown by his disrespect toward his teachers, Paul seems unfazed to the fact that he is in a disciplinary meeting and choses to act indifferent to what his teachers say about him. He is arrogant and holds himself to a higher status than his teachers thus causing him to feel entitled. The red carnation symbolizes his idealistic view of society in which he had hopes and dreams to elevate himself and achieve the higher status that he believes that he deserves. Paul’s world comes crumbling down though when he realizes that he could not pretend to be part of the world that he wanted to be in. He believed that the money could get him the idealistic life that he had imagined for himself in which he has no worries, however, he realizes that life is not like a fairytale and the world is a lot more difficult than he thought that it would be. The last few broken actions that the reader sees of Paul, again, revolve around the red carnation. Before he goes to the train station where he plans to commit suicide, he buys the vibrant, red carnations that one symbolized his hopes and dreams for himself. It is when he reaches the train

    To begin, Paul’s choices affect his development of his character in a big way. One main choice is when Paul chooses to go to Tangerine Middle School, which by multiple reasons, and therefore allows him to join the school soccer team. Another choice is when Paul tackles Coach Warner, which leads him to be more confident in himself. Lastly, Paul deciding to tell on Erik is caused by many reasons, and allows Paul to overcome his fear of Erik. Edward Bloor’s Tangerine suggests that Paul’s choices, big or small, has a huge impact on the development of Paul’s character.

Flowers have many meanings behind them and have many uses, such as complimenting the dinner setting, or showing affection to that special someone. For example, the Carnation flower in general symbolizes love. However, this is not the case for Paul. In the short story “Paul’s Case”, Willa Cather uses symbolism of the carnation to contradict its true meaning through his teacher’s perspective, glass-cased flowers, and his eventual death.

E.M. Remarque portrays death gradually enveloping the body of Franz Kemmerich in his novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”. Paul stands by his friend Kemmerich’s side as death works its way through his body, to not only comfort him during his final hours, but also to retrieve his expensive boots. Paul was detached from natural emotions, as he was not mournful or depressed while at his old friend’s death bed, but instead felt that letting go of his companion was only “a bit difficult” (25). As soldiers in the war these boy’s emotions became altered, and made abnormal. After watching his friend die, Paul ran to Kimmerich to “give him the boots” (28). The “lace-up boots” (24) were an emblem for the soldier’s unnatural detachment from their emotional self, and their inability to feel emotional pain at the sight of death.

Being misunderstood is a fear in which many possess. The desire to be understood and accepted by others is human nature. In “Paul’s Case”, the author, Willa Cathur, portrays Paul, the main character, as a young and misunderstood boy. Paul’s desire to distance himself from his father, classmates and teachers stems from their inability to accept him for his true self. It is apparent that Paul is different, but that should not be an issue. Paul is a troubled boy who finds solace in escaping from the real world. When Paul is in touch with reality, he is unhappy and rebellious. When Paul feels accepted and important, he is truly a bright and respectable young man. Multiple personalities of Paul are explored throughout the short story, which causes

A third example of flowers appearing occurs while Hester and Pearl go to Governor Bellingham's house. Hester goes for the primary purpose of delivering a pair of embroidered gloves, but also to discuss with the important men of the town why she should be able to keep and raise Pearl. Pearl gets distracted while walking through the house and upon “seeing the rose-bushes, began to cry for a red rose, and would not be pacified” (166; ch. 7). The motif of weeds also contribute to the development of themes. One example of weeds appearing is in the graveyard, where Chillingworth has collected some of them. He had found them growing on an unmarked tombstone, and concluded that “they grew out of his heart, and typify, it may be, some hideous secret that was buried with him, and which he had done better to confess during his lifetime” (204; ch. 9). Another example of weeds is at the beginning, when the narrator describes the prison. “Before this ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, was a grass-plot, much overgrown with burdock, pig-weed, apple-peru, and such unsightly vegetation, which evidently found something congenial in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a

Children seek after rebellion and grow up before their parents' eyes losing their innocence, desiring to go against their parents’ will to break the family norm. Sometimes these behaviors are expected and sometimes they are difficult to accept. Gwendolyn Brooks’ “a song in the front yard,” was written from the perspective a young girl desiring change and rebellious adventure. The young girl desires to go to the backyard, a place of unknown. While the front yard is beautiful and cultured, the back yard appears more appealing and favors a secret, forbidden garden requiring an invitation. It is unknown, adventurous, and seems to have a beauty to unveil for the young girl. However, due to the young girl’s mother’s restrictions and attempts of protection,

"Paul's Case," by Willa Cather, is a short story about a young, high school aged boy who exhibits many internal struggles. Cather uses specific literary devices such as imagery and symbolism that help establish Paul's ongoing struggle with his sexuality and inability to reach his desired identity.

A flowering garden in the spring crafts conceptions of fertility, beauty, and bliss. Certain people are similar to plants: some are functional, others radiate beauty, while the worst are those that kill. Not all plants are welcome such as the purple flowers from the Judas tree that should be kept at bay from the hearts of the tender because of their morbid connotation. While Laura in “Flowering Judas” by Anne Kathrine Porter is seemingly sweet, a deeper analyzation exposes the true intentions of this dynamic character. Porter conceived the ideas in “Flowering Judas” from her time in Mexico during the Marxist Revolution in the 1920’s. Some authors speculate the main character Laura is an extension of another strong female lead, Miranda, from previous short stories on female principles (Untrue). Laura is a powerful central character embodying dishonesty of true Judas figure as seen through characterization, allusions, and symbolism.

This story connects to the “Short & Happy life of Francis Macomber” because both wives are dissatisfied with their husband’s behaviors and cognitive abilities which results in their desire to slay them. Generally, despite any attempt their husband makes in order to mature or perfect life, the wives always seem to find some reason to not appreciate them. Furthermore, each wife had this feeling of indifference for life that always left them feeling undesired, trapped, and unfulfilled. For example, this indifference is shown by Margot Macomber when she kisses Mr. Wilson for being more masculine and brave than her husband. However, she begins to feel bad about her decisions once her husband begins to become brave when hunting the Buffalo. On a

What are your thoughts about Walt Disney’s comments about the artist’s work? I can definitely understand the perspective and mindset of Disney’s comments toward Taryn Simon’s work. The whole point of Disney is to create a fantasy place where people can enter and forget about the troubles they face in real life and relax in a world where there is no stress and pressure of danger. Simon’s work would try to break that illusion, which Disney does not want. I agree with Disney’s mentality because sometimes, ignorance really is bliss. There should be some place where people can go to forget their problems (for a limited time) and just enjoy themselves.

We will learn that Paul is reborn in the way that he has transformed himself into a magician, and his name is also changed to Faustus Legrand from Paul Dempster. He can now speak various languages. Unlike before, he is not so pleased to see Dunstan, and does not want to see her mother that his birth drove his mother mad, and that he does not wish to revisit the sadness of his past. We can see that Paul has created his own, separate identity from the one he was born with. Paul was not a village favourite, and many people disliked him for being the queer and persistently unfortunate but now many people attend his shows to watch him do magic tricks.

The strong elements of symbolism throughout the story show the complication of the characters. In the story, the flowers are used as symbolism in this novel. The most important instance of this is the rhododendrons. “These were monsters, rearing to the sky, massed like a battalion, too beautiful I thought, too powerful; they were not like plants at all” (Maurier 51). The rhododendrons symbolize Rebecca. They speak to her overwhelming identity, her striking quality, her affection forever and her excellence. Their unnatural perspective likewise symbolizes her cold-bloodedness and

When, in his walk through the garden, he came to the magnificent plant that hung its purple gems beside the marble fountain, he placed a kind of mask over his mouth and nostrils, as if all this beauty did not conceal a deadlier malice; but finding his task still too dangerous, he drew back, removed the mask, and called loudly, but in the infirm voice of a person affected with inward disease (Anthology p. 644).

A 26 year-old woman plays with glass figurines upon a living room table. Too plagued by her own physical as well as mental disabilities, Laura contemplates only one future for herself: seclusion from the outside world where bad-encounter prevail the desire for good experiences. A lack of positive growth for Laura, along with the rest of her family, is the pitfall for Tennessee Williams where he pressurizes kindred desperation in the Glass Menagerie to produce hopelessness as the ultimate outcome. In the play Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams uses description of stormy weather