Pauls Case
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"Paul's Case" is short story written by Willa Cather. "Paul's Case" is about a sensitive high school student, who felt very frustrated with his home life and his family's expectations that he would grow up to work in a factory or the steel mills as his father and most of his neighbors did. Instead, he spent his evenings ushering at the symphony hall or backstage at a local theater. Paul dreamed of living the life of the performers he saw. He was not close to anyone in his family and had no neighborhood or school friends. He had problems at school and was rude when called before a school committee. Eventually he was pulled out of school and sent to work by his father. He devised a scheme to steal money from his employer and then ran away to New York City where he stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, living for a few days the life of his dreams. When he realized that he would have to return home and accept his punishment he killed himself. The settings and symbolism in "Paul's Case" reveal aspects of Paul's character that lead him to inflicting his own death...