Analysis Of Paul's Case By Willa Cather

An individual’s pursuit of self-satisfaction can be rewarding in life, but it can also create an urge to constantly feel that sense of fulfillment. Willa Cather touches upon the barriers of attempting to secure self-satisfaction. Set in the 1900s, it describes Paul, our protagonist, unhappy with his status in life. He looks to the arts and performances as a means of escape from the commonness of his ordinary life. When he is banned from the theatre the feeling of being involved in society life is taken away from him. Consequently, he steals $1000 and experiences the lavish life of the upper class society. After realizing his fantasies will be nothing more than a dream he ends his life. In “Paul’s Case” the author suggests that when an individual achieves fulfillment, it can be fleeting and ultimately yields disastrous results.

Unable to achieve

“A gust of wind brought the rain down with sudden vehemence”(2). Storms within Paul’s life wake him up from his fantasies. Without entrance into Carnegie Hall and being forbidden from associating with Charley Edwards, Paul’s dreams of being involved with the upper class are shattered. The origins of his fantasies and stories came from the performances in Carnegie Hall. Without them, he is unable to overcome the despair he faces at home and at school. “The hopeless feeling of sinking back, forever into ugliness and commonness that he always has when he came home”(3) Cordelia Street has always been Paul’s home. Yet, he loathes it as it reminds him of his circumstances. Paul see’s his home as unpleasant and dull compared to the congeniality and luxury of Carnegie Hall. His inability to increase his financial wealth and prominence in society has its effects on his mental state. Without Carnegie Hall as a passage for him to feel involved in high society life, he becomes depressed, unable to be satisfied without the theatre and its