Money cannot buy happiness. This famous proverb initially provides a comforting idea; that life is worth more than wealth. However, Willa Cather’s Paul’s Case provides a more unsettling take on this proverb. Cather asserts that the upper class has more than just money. They have a different set of societal expectations and standards, allowed the privilege of exclusive pastimes, such as the fine arts. Paul exemplifies the consequence of when someone of a lower socioeconomic status enjoys entertainment seemingly limited to only high-class elites. Paul, like many, chases after the idea that purely increasing his wealth can give him a life with the fine arts, but he fails to realize that a larger social stigma prevents the lower class from living
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Paul adroitly steals his father’s money under the illusion that having money could end the barrier preventing him from a pleasant life with the arts. Paul, using the money to buy extravagant clothing, finally feels like “he ha[s] only to glance down at his attire to reassure himself that [now] it would be impossible for anyone to humiliate him.” It seems like all of his problems of never fitting in have disappeared after he gets money because he can finally afford the amenities he desires. The shame of Cordelia Street and his past life seems to be left behind along with his shabby clothes. As evidenced by his newfound confidence, Paul finally feels like part of the music-appreciating elite, no longer having to disguise his passion for music under his guise a mere usher. However, he can never escape the larger societal expectations of someone of his socioeconomic status manifested by his father. No matter how far Paul runs away, he can never escape the drab life of the clerk that Paul’s father wishes for his son. A week after running away, Paul’s past catches up to him, making it seem “worse than jail… [like] Cordelia Street were to close over him finally and forever, and… the gray monotony stretche[s] before him, hopeless;…all rush[ing] back upon him with a sickening vividness.” Paul quickly learns that pure cash
Paul adroitly steals his father’s money under the illusion that having money could end the barrier preventing him from a pleasant life with the arts. Paul, using the money to buy extravagant clothing, finally feels like “he ha[s] only to glance down at his attire to reassure himself that [now] it would be impossible for anyone to humiliate him.” It seems like all of his problems of never fitting in have disappeared after he gets money because he can finally afford the amenities he desires. The shame of Cordelia Street and his past life seems to be left behind along with his shabby clothes. As evidenced by his newfound confidence, Paul finally feels like part of the music-appreciating elite, no longer having to disguise his passion for music under his guise a mere usher. However, he can never escape the larger societal expectations of someone of his socioeconomic status manifested by his father. No matter how far Paul runs away, he can never escape the drab life of the clerk that Paul’s father wishes for his son. A week after running away, Paul’s past catches up to him, making it seem “worse than jail… [like] Cordelia Street were to close over him finally and forever, and… the gray monotony stretche[s] before him, hopeless;…all rush[ing] back upon him with a sickening vividness.” Paul quickly learns that pure cash