Paul’s Case
Paul’s Case was a story in the third person limited written by Willa Cather. Paul’s Case is the story of a young man who struggles with his identity. Paul feels that he knows where he belongs, but his family and teachers refuse to support his choices. Paul struggles with both internal and external conflicts, causing him to be very confused character. To Paul’s family and teachers he comes off as abnormal and strange kid. But Paul feels he is just misunderstood and that no one wants to see what his wants and likes are. In the beginning of the story Paul seems to be a typical teenage boy in trouble for causing problems in the classroom.
In the story Paul loved the operas and performances at Carnegie Hall. Paul dreaded returning home after the Carnegie Hall performances because he feared his father and hated going back to reality. He would rather live in his fantasy world than face reality. Paul in the story has a troubled home life and that there is lack of affection and attention received at home which caused him to look elsewhere for the attention that he craved. The theater and Carnegie Hall was where Paul felt alive. To him, the rest of his life was boring and not worth anything. Paul's life was so dull in comparison to his theater life, which he felt was his home. He truly believed that he belonged to the arts. This is what caused him to flee to New York to be in a place where he would be accepted for his true self. He had so much determination that he made his choice to go to New York. He did not ever want to return home, for his home was worse than jail. At home he could not be himself, he was judged by his father, and he could not like what he wanted to like or be who