Themes: The American Dream

The American Dream is a key theme in the narrative. Paul's father and the residents of Cordelia Street, a "perfectly respectable" middle-class area, uphold values centered on hard work, family, and church involvement. During their free time, they share stories about their employers, the "captains of industry," who rose from humble beginnings to lead major corporations and enjoy luxurious lifestyles. Paul despises the mundane existence of Cordelia...

Themes: Deception

Paul briefly fulfills his dream through deceit, and Cather implies that this fulfillment might also involve self-deception. At home, he misleads his father to justify his visits to the theater, while at school, he concocts stories about the life he desires. In New York, despite feeling free from "the necessity of petty lying," he is living his greatest lie: pretending to be a wealthy boy from Washington waiting for his traveling parents. He...

Themes: Choices and Consequences

The concept of free will is intricately linked to Paul's quest for the American Dream and the deceit he employs to attain it. Is Paul simply a sensitive adolescent overwhelmed by his environment, or is he a dishonest thief evading responsibility for his choices? In the story's concluding line, Cather notes that Paul "dropped back into the immense design of things," suggesting that his downfall was unavoidable. The presence of a portrait of...

Themes: Beauty

For Paul, beauty is synonymous with life, and he perceives it only through illusions. He believes that "the natural nearly always wore the guise of ugliness,...a certain element of artificiality seemed to him necessary in beauty." Paul feels most alive and comfortable in places like art galleries, theaters, symphonies, and operas. When he admires paintings or listens to opera, Paul experiences a sense of losing himself. His identity dissolves as...

Themes: Alienation

Paul's longing for beauty and glamour causes him to feel detached from most people. Cather demonstrates his sense of alienation through his unease around those who should be closest to him—his family, neighbors, and classmates. In the opening scene at his faculty hearing, Cather emphasizes this by describing how Paul withdraws from his teacher's supportive hand. He feels "loathing" for his own street, and while neighbors gather for friendly...

Themes: Limitations and Opportunities

Paul's feelings of alienation arise from the limitations he perceives are placed upon him. His father, who is primarily concerned with business, disapproves of Paul's passions. He permits Paul to work as an usher solely because he believes "a boy ought to be earning a little." Paul resorts to deceit to visit the theater, suggesting that if his father were aware of his true intentions, he would have stopped Paul from going. Upon reaching the...

Themes: Contrast and Discord Between Conflicting Values

Much of Willa Cather’s writing develops an interest in the minds, ways, and lives of artists: This theme of contrast and discord between conflicting values is present in a number of ways in “Paul’s Case.” Although Paul is not an artist in the sense that he creates works of art, he has the kind of imagination that in a friendlier environment might have developed to enable him to convert the material of his real world into art. As it is, Paul’s...

Themes: Materialism and Society's Insensitivity

In spite of the rather detached and clinical description of this conflict between Paul and his world, the author’s distaste for the materialistic and rather coarse society she describes becomes evident. While Paul is clearly presented as emotionally disturbed and as almost pathologically lonely and isolated, he is also, in part, the victim of a society that is somewhat deadened in its imagination and finer sensibilities. Paul is like an aesthete...

Themes: Fantasy vs. Reality

In "Paul's Case," the theme of fantasy versus reality is central to the protagonist's struggle. Paul is a dreamer who seeks to escape his mundane existence through illusions of beauty and wealth. His inability to reconcile his fantasies with reality leads to his downfall. The story explores how Paul's obsession with an idealized world ultimately results in tragedy, highlighting the dangers of living in a fantasy detached from the real world.

Themes: Identity

In "Paul's Case," the theme of identity is central to understanding Paul's struggles and ultimate fate. Paul is a young man who feels alienated from his mundane surroundings and is driven by a desire to become someone else. His identity is shaped by his imagination and a longing for a life of beauty and wealth, which he believes can be achieved through performance and illusion. This quest for identity leads him to make choices that ultimately...