Paul’s Case by Willa Cather

Paul’s Case Synopsis

                        Paul’s Case by Willa Cather is a short story that focuses on the last days of a desolate high school kid named Paul. Paul lives in Pittsburgh and is unhappy with the social class he is in. The story begins with him being suspended because of his constant misconduct at school. The dilemma starts when he goes to school to ask if he can return. His teachers are then asked for their opinions and they accuse him of being defiant and disrespectful. Paul was calm throughout the whole process even though the author implies it was horrifying by stating, “Older boys than Paul had broken down and shed tears under that baptism of fire, but his set smile did not once desert him, and his only sign of discomfort was the nervous trembling of the fingers that toyed with the buttons of his overcoat, and an occasional jerking of the other hand that held his hat.” His teachers viewed his attitude as arrogant and they blamed the red carnation he had on his buttonhole for his sense of rebellion.

                        Soon after his confrontation with his teachers, he heads to Carnegie Hall where he worked as an usher, for his shift. His whole behavior changes while he is at the concert hall. The author describes him as a model usher, always smiling and being helpful. The author then states, “When the symphony began, Paul sank into one of the rear seats, with a long sigh of relief.” This implies that Paul uses music to get out of the real world and roam his imagination. This is proven when the author sates, “He felt a sudden zest of life; the lights danced before his eyes and the concert hall blazed into unimaginable splendor.” Music was his drug because the music stimulated his brain and when it was over he becames irritable.

                        The next day, which was Sunday, Paul sat on the steps of his front porch listening to the conversation his father had with a young man. The conversation his father has with the young man is about work and the young man, who was a clerk to one of the magnates of a great steel corporation, then describes how his boss was living a life of luxury. Paul is annoyed by the talk of these rich people and their lives because he thought they were spoiling his future though he still preferred these stories. Cather states, “Yet he rather liked to hear these legends of the iron kings, that were told and retold on Sundays and holidays; these stories of palaces in Venice, yachts on the Mediterranean, and high play at Monte Carlo appealed to his fancy, and he was interested in the triumphs of these cash-boys who had become famous, though he had no mind for the cash-boy stage.” This is important because Paul knows his social rank and even though he wants to achieve such greatness, he wants to skip all the hard work.

                        After Paul is taken out of school, he is put to work and he can no longer be an usher at Carnegie Hall, nor can he enter the building. He also wasn’t allowed to see Charley Edwards, a young actor in the Pittsburgh theatre troupe. These events lead Paul to steal $1000 in cash from Denny & Carson’s office, which is where he now worked, when he had to deposit it to the bank. He takes the money to go to New York, where he hopes to live the life he deserves. He believes he should be living as the higher class and this is proven when Cather states, “He spent upward of two hours there, buying with endless reconsidering and great care. His new street suit he put on in the fitting-room; the frock-coat and dress-clothes he had bundled into the cab with his linen. Then he drove to a hatter's and a shoe house. His next errand was at Tiffany's, where he selected his silver and a new scarf-pin.” The reason he does all this is because he had a close relationship with Charley and they separated them. Also because he had planned on going to New York since the longest and he had even gone over the details with Charley.