The Character Of Paul In Cather? s & # 8220 ; Paul? s Case & # 8221 ; Essay, Research Paper

The Character of Paul in Cather? s & # 8220 ; Paul? s Case & # 8221 ;

Paul is the chief character in Willa Cather? s narrative Paul? s Case, and throughout most of the narrative we are given merely his position and feelings. This penetration into Paul? s head exposes the reader to Paul? s true character as he evolves into the individual he has ever wanted to be. Other facets of the narrative such as Cather? s graphic description of the scene, and the scene? s alteration from the black place on Cordelia Street to the scintillating New York hotel room add more deepness to this development. Ultimately, the alteration in Paul? s character is manifested in his instance before his school teachers, his flight journey to New York, and his reaction to the intelligence of his offense being found out.

While there is no definite point of alteration to be found in Paul? s instance with his instructors, it is apparent that this event marks the beginning of a alteration in his outlook and way. Before this little test Paul is perceived as distractingly inventive, high strung, and desperate for attending. His instructors think? There is something incorrect about the chap? ( 408 ) that they can non nail. Their sentiments of him do non alter, but Paul? s sentiment of himself begins to mature and at this point he seems determined to get down lifting above their outlooks. Refering that outlook, he wishes that? . . . some of his instructors [ were ] at that place to wrestle under his light-heartedness? ( 408 ) . In one case after his? test? of holding to sit one of those instructors at a concert, Paul begins to believe negatively of her, but so dismisses those ideas. He even comments on experiencing? like the Geni [ vitamin E ] in the bottle, ? ( 409 ) set free.

Subsequently, Paul? s foolhardy trip to New York brings about the most apparent and important alteration in his character. Cather epitomizes this in her description of the position from his train window: The snow was twirling in the curling Eddies above the white underside lands, and the impetuss lay already deep in the Fieldss and along the fencings, while here and at that place the long dead grass and dried weed chaffs protruded black above it. ( 415 )

Paul? s old wonts of fright and self-defecation are much like

those dried weed chaffs, whereas the? snow? of his new individuality is get downing to cover them up. Harmonizing to Paul, ? The lone thing that at all surprised him was his ain bravery. . . ? ( 416 ) in being able to carry through such a undertaking as running off. That outlook grows from simple self-astonishment to self-acceptance when Paul reaches the point where? He had merely to peek down at his garb to reassure himself that here it would be impossible for anyone to mortify him? ( 418 ) .

Paul? s new unworried character reasoning backwards somewhat when intelligence of his offense reaches New York. His assurance is shaken, leting some of his old uncertainties and frights to resurface:

It was to be worse than gaol, even ; the lukewarm Waterss of Cordelia Street were to shut over him eventually and everlastingly. The grey humdrum stretched before him in hopeless, undiminished old ages. It all rushed back upon him with a disgusting color. ( 419 )

This intelligence affects him so far as to do him go forth his sanctuary in New York, seemingly to perpetrate self-destruction on a railway path far outside of Pennsylvania. Toward this terminal of the narrative, Paul grows slightly asleep to his milieus, allowing terrible finding catch his character. Cather draws a comparing between Paul and a flagging clove pink in his lapel: ? It was merely one glorious breath they had, in malice of their courageous jeer at the winter outside the glass, and it was a losing game in the terminal it seemed. . . ? ( 420 ) . Paul does non merely accept this? loss, ? nevertheless: ? . . . he started to his pess, retrieving merely his declaration, and afraid lest he should be excessively late? ( 421 ) .

The stoping of the narrative does non advert that Paul evinced any sorrow or any extra fright ; alternatively it suggests that Paul eventually reaches a peace with his milieus: ? . . . and Paul dropped back into the huge design of things? ( 421 ) . This last statement embodies the logical thinking for Paul? s journey to New York and serves good to sum up the conclusiveness of his alteration of character and the displacement in his outlook. He is an unsated, originative immature adult male who wants to be surrounded by the things that make him experience alive, and he finally finds that animation and that peace, and so pays the monetary value for it consciously and volitionally.