Symbolism In Paul's Case

People always look for ways to fit in; they look for places where they belong. That is the struggle of Paul and his decision to find a place for which he can be himself. “Paul’s Case” written by Willa Cather is a story in how Paul struggles to fit in at his hometown but decides to go someplace else to be accepted. Paul is conflicted about reaching the expectations put on him by his father and being accepted by his classmates and teachers, he chooses the path of pursuing his own desires or complying with what people wants him to become. The protagonist, Paul, is a fairly odd kid compared to the other students at his school. Even the teachers find him abnormal according to their experience in teaching him. His disheveled look and rude …show more content…
When one thinks of home, they would think a warm, welcoming place. The common saying of “home is where the heart is” is not true for Paul; he describes his home nothing like warm and welcoming. Paul’s house included “his ugly sleeping chamber, the cold bathroom with the grimy zinc tub, the cracked mirror, the dripping spigots…” (Page 175). From his descriptions, it almost appears to be an old house that has been left standing unattended. When Paul described his father, he seemed like a stern, unwavering man. For example, Paul’s father does not like to hear requests for money, no matter the amount; hence Paul seemed to be nervous around him, almost scared of him. Most of the time parents are like friends to their children, it was not this case with the relationship between Paul and his father. His father wanted Paul to follow in his footsteps and become educated like him. So in other words his father wanted Paul to conform to …show more content…
The absence of a mother figure leads to Paul not experiencing motherly love or the experience of a family. This would have pursued Paul to desire his dreams more. Paul wanted to leave this life style, therefore wanting to escape to New York to find a better life. If he had a mother figure to look up too then he would not have wanted to leave, he would have stayed with the person he loved, and life wouldn’t have been so difficult. Paul’s father dumped his expectations on Paul and Paul disliked that, as a result Paul runs away, away from the expectations. Near the end of the story, Paul’s father searches for Paul to bring him back, but Paul was dead set on never going back to Pittsburgh, therefore he committed suicide even when he still had regrets. Paul would have had many more opportunities to enjoy his life if he was given a chance to pursue his dreams. Through the story, Paul made his own decision if he was going to comply with society’s standards or pursue his own desires; he chose to pursue his own desires, even if it was short-lived. Willa Cather wrote the short story “Paul’s Case” about a boy who struggled to belong and decided to go someplace else to fit in. Everyone should be given the decision to pursue whatever they desire in life; there should not be any barriers that block them from searching the right path that they are happy