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Can "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather and "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner be linked thematically?
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"Paul's Case" by Willa Cather and "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner can be linked thematically through their exploration of non-conformity and isolation. Both protagonists, Paul and Emily, reject reality and societal norms. Paul dreams of a lavish lifestyle, ultimately leading to his demise, while Emily clings to the past, resulting in her madness. Both characters' detachment from reality leads to their tragic ends, highlighting themes of loneliness and the destructive nature of unrealistic aspirations.
The use of symbolism is one feature that can connect these two very different stories—specifically the symbol of flowers.
The “rose” associated with Emily is a symbolic gift or tribute to her status of “lady” in the town. Although other flowers are mentioned in the story, they are not named as roses. However, the association between a rose and a bride is strong when Emily's bedroom is described after Homer’s body is discovered there. The bridal-type furnishings include curtains of a “faded rose color” and “rose-shaded lights.” Ironically, of course, she was never a bride.
In the story of Paul, his use of flowers indicates his lack of understanding of social conventions. He establishes what he thinks of individualism and taste by wearing first a red carnation, which others see as “flippant,” and later violets in his lapel. He insists on being surrounded by flowers, even those out of season....
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And at his life’s end, he buries a flower in the snow, much as he himself is overcome by the elements.
In terms of other similarities, the character of Homer, rather than Emily, might better be compared to Paul. Both are men, both are outsiders who leave home to live in another town or city, and both aspire to different kinds of life. In Homer’s case, his involvement with Emily and his outgoing nature lead first to his inclusion in her town, but then to her death. In Paul’s case, a commonality between Emily and Paul is their devotion to unrealistic aspirations and investment in appearances. While Emily clings to the past, however, Paul embraces the modern world with its materialism and artifice; Emily cannot be separated from her hometown, while Paul flees his. For both, their detachment from reality contributes to their demise.
The story Paul's Case by Willa Cather and the story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner have certain themes that they share in common.
One of those themes is non-conformity and the inability to accept life just like it is. In the case of Paul, he dreams of having the life of a dandy in such an obsessive way that he stops at nothing to try to achieve his dream. Similarly,the character of Emily cannot and will not accept that times have hanged, that she is not the Southern aristocrat that she used to be, and that she is simply not loved by the man she loves, Homer.
Like Paul, Emily went outside of the paradigms of common sense and reason to achieve her desire to keep Homer by killing him and keeping his body until her death. Paul's extreme measure was to escape to New York, live under a false identity, and then end his own life when he realized that the end of his lie was near.
The isolation, dejection, and loneliness that these two main characters experience is a result of their non-conformity and inability to adapt to life. Therefore, madness and other strange behaviors take control of them. Thematically speaking, that would be the best way to combine these two otherwise diverse stories together. However, it is a fact that the theme of non-conformity and loneliness hit hard on both stories, with the same results.