Importance of Point of View in The Story Paul’s Case

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In the story “Paul’s Case”, point of view plays a huge role in the telling of this short story written by Willa Cather in 1905. This is a story of a young boy who has to perform on a daily basis for society and hide his true self. In Paul's case Cather uses the point of view to show pauls emotion towards other character and his daily routine this helps better understand what the character is going through and the choices he makes. It also shows the reader how the world sees him and what he thinks of himself.

This story is basically about a boy named Paul who goes on a downward spiral in his life. It starts with trouble at school his teachers call a meeting his father confesses how he feels about paul. everyone is scared of him or weary of him because his is different. he wears a mask of an un-phased teenage boy who doesn't care about anything but in reality he has a million worries running through his head about his father and keeping his mask on so society does not see the real him. “He had the feeling of not being able to let down; of its being impossible to give up this delicious excitement which was the only thing that could be called living at all ducing the last number he withdrew and after hastily changing his clothes in the dressing room , slipped out to the side door where the singers carriage stood.” 126 paragraph 15 he was being happy and letting his emotion showed but he caught himself and put his mask back on and left. It gets worse when he decides to take money from Denny and Carson’s deposit and go to New York to live out his last days in luxury he has his fun buys new clothes and goes into an expensive hotel. In the end he jumps in front of a train and kills himself. “ He felt something strike his chest,- h...

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...ooking around. He felt that someone was watching him, trying to find something out about him. So he kept the same face unfazed even when his english teacher gave him a look that make older boys breakdown and cry, but the only sign of fear he showed was fumbling with his buttons. And twitching his hand every once in awhile paul thinks everyone sees him a certain way and he has to live up to that expectation.

In conclusion, the point of view in paul’s case provides a sort of feeling to this story that could not be shown. If the point of view where any different, the readers would not understand why paul killed himself or why he enjoyed frustrating his teachers and making people nervous. Or why he was so kind and let go at the theater. Who would not know the reason he stayed awake all night in the basement rather than just go to his room and confront his father.

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