The Creation Of Paul In Willa Cather's Narcissistic Psyche

Many literary analysts dissect and argue that Paul in Willa Cather’s 1904 publicated creation of Paul’s Case predominant tragic flaw is the suppression of homosexuality as well as the heteronormative culture Paul is constantly striving to veer away from. However, a more apparent perspective surfaces from the dismal conclusion of Paul’s short life. Paul’s crucial struggle was accepting a new world filled with opposing realities that threatened his own. He is forced with the pressure of growing up and having to finally absolve the presumption that his thoughts are superior than his cohorts and teachers. He falls into a vicious cycle to escape the monotonous and trivial pursuits typically lead by the everyday man. This narcissistic behavior leads to Paul’s downfall and eventual undoing. …show more content…
Within Greek Mythology, Narcissus’s conclusion falls into a piteous cycle of arrogance, pure self-interest, and lack of empathetic awareness. In psychological terms, narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder which often causes an overtly obnoxious sense of self-importance and creates troublesome situations in social settings. However, under the uncontrollable facade of narcissistic personality disorder is the crippling suppression of an intolerable low self-esteem. In “Paul’s Case”: A Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Rob Saari argues that in order “to receive the diagnosis of a narcissistic personality disorder, a person must meet five of nine criteria: Paul appears to be a prototypical case, meeting all nine.” Willa Cather’s Paul’s Case is considered a literary phenomenon by Rob Saari for producing a typical narcissistic character ninety years before its official psychological