Cather writes here with characteristic restraint. She implies, she understates, she hints, believing that it is important to leave the reader to figure things out and become actively involved in “making” the story. The author purports to be writing a case history and thus aims for an emotionally detached quality in the style. She wants to let the facts speak for themselves, and she concludes without diagnosis or explanation. In spite of her desire not to appear to take sides or to prejudice the reader’s judgment, the nature of this writing brings one close to Paul and not to anyone else. By making the reader intimate with Paul’s thoughts, perceptions, and feelings, she draws the reader’s sympathy to him. The author takes the role of omniscient narrator, so that when she says, “in Paul’s world, the natural nearly always wore the guise of ugliness,” she justifies Paul’s need for artificial beauty. Paul may be deluded and extreme, but the author’s facts about his ugly world are not to be disputed.

Cather also has a special talent for creating the visible, an eye for that detail or mood or scene that calls on her talent and experience as a journalist when she wrote for a Pittsburgh paper and later for McClure’s magazine. She characterizes Paul’s thoughts of home by “damp dish towels” and shows the reader the champagne in his glass at his hotel dinner as “cold, precious, bubbling stuff that creamed and foamed in his glass.” By the use of such images and the vivid language conveying them, Cather is able to convey what Paul sees and feels and how intense the conflict must be that causes him to want to die rather than return to the flatness and drabness that he has managed to escape for a little more than a week.

It is interesting to note that the case history had become a vigorous form of psychological writing in the later half of the nineteenth century and has in the twentieth century established itself as a major story form, particularly in the genre of crime and detective fiction. Clinical case histories have escaped the confines of medical reports and obtained a wide, popular audience.

From 1900 to 1910, America experienced significant growth in business and industry. Fortunes were amassed in the production of steel and iron, with figures like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and J. P. Morgan earning immense wealth during this era. These men, often labeled as "robber barons," accumulated their riches through dubious labor practices and enjoyed government favor due to their role in building the infrastructure essential for the United States to emerge as a global power. In "Paul's Case," these industrial magnates are referenced as the "iron kings" during Sunday afternoon conversations on Cordelia Street.

With fewer business regulations than today, industry leaders aggressively chased profits, which enabled them to indulge in extravagant consumption. Thorstein Veblen, in The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), introduced the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe the lavish display of wealth through clothing, travel, automobiles, and architecture. This ostentatious use of wealth is vividly depicted in "Paul's Case," particularly in the New York section, highlighting the Waldorf Hotel, Paul's fine clothing and silk underwear, champagne, and opera outings. Edith Wharton's novel The House of Mirth, published the same year, also explores high society, focusing on a young, beautiful upper-class woman who attempts to secure her fortune through marriage but struggles to sacrifice either love or wealth.

Despite their immense wealth, some of the affluent found ways to contribute to societal welfare. Andrew Carnegie, for instance, became the nation's foremost philanthropist by donating to libraries, foundations, and arts venues, including the music halls named after him in New York City and, as mentioned in "Paul's Case," Pittsburgh.

Irony
"Paul's Case" revolves around a high school student who is so captivated by the allure of wealth and culture that he escapes to New York City using stolen money to indulge in a lavish lifestyle, even if only temporarily. When the threat of his mundane middle-class existence looms, Paul chooses to end his life. The narrator's perspective on Paul's actions is steeped in irony. The narrator does not condone Paul's theft to live extravagantly, nor does the narrator support his decision to commit suicide upon realizing that "money was everything." The authorial voice often communicates directly with the reader, reflecting on insights that the characters themselves miss. For example, although Paul loathes Cordelia Street, it is depicted as a "perfectly respectable" middle-class neighborhood. Similarly, Paul's idealized view of the arts is starkly contrasted with harsher realities: mentions of a "cracked orchestra" struggling through an overture or fumbling a serenade hardly evoke sublimity, yet Paul's senses are "deliciously, yet delicately fired" regardless. Cather's detached, minimalist narrative voice subtly reveals her stance on the events she describes.

Symbolism
Cather employs symbolism masterfully throughout the story. Flowers serve as a recurring motif, reflecting Paul's character and his outlook on life. The red carnation Paul dons when meeting his teachers signifies, to them, his audacious and defiant attitude. It is characterized as "flippantly red" and "scandalous." Paul also sports violets in his buttonholes and dismisses those who do not as ordinary. At the Waldorf, his luxurious suite is incomplete without flowers, and he marvels at the artificial beauty of cut flowers in New York's flower stands, where "snowflakes stuck and melted" against the glass. When Paul goes to the railroad tracks to end his life, he removes a wilted red carnation from his lapel and buries it in the snow. Expensive, extravagant, vivid, and fleeting, flowers symbolize Paul's quest for beauty in what he perceives as a drab world. They also represent Paul himself, who, like flowers in winter, is out of place. The snow that kills flowers, seen by Paul on his train ride to New York and near the railroad tracks at the story's conclusion, starkly contrasts with the bright flowers with which Paul surrounds himself.

Allusion
"Paul's Case" is rich with numerous allusions, or references to cultural figures and works. Many of these relate to disguises, highlighting the theme of deception in Paul's life. One example is Paul's reaction to the theater, which includes a reference to Friedrich von Flotow's opera Martha. In this opera, a noblewoman disguises herself as a maid, leading to unfortunate outcomes. During his final dinner in New York, Paul listens to music from Ruggiero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, which explores themes of clowns, masks, and the contrast between appearance and reality. Another allusion, referencing a genie in a bottle, brings to mind the Arabian Nights and vividly illustrates how trapped Paul feels in his mundane world and life. Additionally, Cather uses other allusions to associate Paul with the decadence of imperial Rome. For instance, after his hot bath, Paul wraps himself in a "Roman blanket," evoking images of the luxurious Roman baths and their decadence.

1900s: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, emerged as the epicenter of steel production in the United States. Numerous industrial tycoons, such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and J. P. Morgan, amassed great wealth through steel manufacturing. When residents of Cordelia Street recount their "legends of the iron kings," they are likely referring to these prominent Pittsburgh figures.

Today: Although steel remains one of the top ten industries in America, the last of Pittsburgh's steel mills had closed by the end of the 1980s.

1900s: The newfound wealth of the country spurred the construction of opulent hotels in American cities, drawing affluent travelers and rivaling the grandeur of European palaces. In Pittsburgh, Paul is captivated by the Schenley Hotel, while in New York, he opts to stay at the Waldorf, the epitome of luxury hotels.

Today: Urban luxury hotels have seen a decline in popularity. With the advent of the jet age, distant destinations have become more accessible, prompting wealthy vacationers to favor resort areas like the Caribbean or the French Riviera.

1900s: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was established with a $10 million endowment from Andrew Carnegie, the Pittsburgh steel magnate who dedicated his later years to philanthropy, funding numerous cultural and educational institutions. Carnegie also founded Pittsburgh's Carnegie Music Hall, where Paul works as an usher.

Today: Over 2,500 public libraries owe their creation to Andrew Carnegie. In an era of dwindling public funding for education and culture, Carnegie's legacy continues to significantly influence the state of American education.

1900s: Aestheticism was a significant artistic movement, advocating "art for art's sake." Aestheticists believed in the pursuit of beauty as an end in itself and maintained that art should be free from social, political, or ethical obligations.

Today: While Aestheticism still has its adherents, many contemporary artists believe that art should address and influence social issues. Multiculturalism, a movement aiming to integrate non-white, non-Western expressions into mainstream American culture, exemplifies this shift.

"Paul's Case" was adapted for television by Lamont Johnson, with Ed Lynch as the producer. The adaptation featured performances by Eric Roberts, Michael Higgins, and Lindsay Crouse. It aired on PBS in 1980 as part of the "American Short Story Series, Part 2." The 52-minute film can be obtained from Coronet/MTI Film & Video.

In 1981, the story was also made available as a book-on-tape by Harper Collins.

Additionally, in 1986, Caedmon Audio Cassette released an audio version of Paul's Case.

Sources
"And Death Comes for Willa Cather, Famous Author," in Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, April 25, 1947.

Arnold, Marilyn. Willa Cather's Short Fiction, Ohio University Press, 1984.

Bloom, Harold. Willa Cather, Chelsea House, 1985, pp. 71-86, 177-83.

Brown, Edward Killoran and Leon Edel. Willa Cather: A Critical Biography. Alfred A. Knopf, 1953.

Carpenter, David A. "Why Willa Cather Revised 'Paul's Case': The Work in Art and Those Sunday Afternoons," in American Literature, Vol. 59, no. 4, December 1987, pp. 590-608.

O'Brien, Sharon. Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice, Oxford University Press, 1987.

Rosowski, Susan J. The Voyage Perilous: Willa Cather's Romanticism, University of Nebraska Press, 1986.

Summers, Claude J. "A Losing Game in the End: Aestheticism and Homosexuality in Cather's 'Paul's Case'," in Modern Fiction Studies, Vol. 36, 1990, pp. 103-19.

Wasserman, Loretta. Willa Cather, G.K. Hall, 1991.

Weigel, John A. "What Kind of Psychology for Students of Literature?," in CEA Critic, Vol. 20, 1958, pp. 1, 5.

Woodress, James. Introduction to The Troll Garden by Willa Cather, edited by James Woodress, University of Nebraska Press, 1983.

Further Reading
Discovering Authors Modules (CD-ROM publication), Gale Research, 1996.
Includes biographical details on Cather's life and works, along with excerpts from various critical essays.

Short Story Criticism, Vol. 2, Gale Research, 1989, pp. 88-122.
Features excerpts from ten critical essays on Cather's works, with Carpenter's essay and the introduction offering an in-depth analysis of "Paul's Case."