The Obstacles Faced by The Main Character in Paul’s Case

Depression is when a person goes this phase of pure negativity. The feeling is so strong that sometimes depression leaves a mental scar. Depression can stem from a mental issue or from a traumatic event in one’s life. Depression is actually a common disease, some cases worse than others. In many of these cases, depression can lead to mood swings and even suicide. There have been some cases show that this disorder also leads to other depressive related problems. “Paul’s Case”, by Willa Cather, talks about Paul who is a young man who is also unique in his very own way. The short story does not directly tell the reader, but by the actions that Paul does, makes the reader wonder what type of character he is. Reading the story, I interpreted Paul was not like everyone else, he was not normal. He suffers from depression and goes through a few mental issues. This paper will talk about the main character in “Paul’s Case” and his obstacles that he has to face in the story. The author has written this way for a reason, what was his message?

One of the main problems that Paul has in the story is his identity. He begins the story feeling this he is a certain way but feels confused about why his life does not reflect how he feels. At one point he feels like he is a wealthy member of high society but he cannot portray this feeling with where he is in his life. Another issue that he faces in the story was when Paul decided to steal money from a company and go on a weekend getaway. He spends this money as if he were a rich man. Paul shows that he doesn’t view himself as the normal class but as high class. Lying does not determine whether or not someone has a mental disorder. On the other hand, lying does show off as a symptom as self-deception. In this part of the story, it also displays the conflict between conformity and individuality. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and ruin his unique imagination. However, his lying stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for his individuality. Throughout the story, one may see Cather’s constant contrast of individuality versus conformity, as well as Paul’s constant lying and stealing.

Paul also frequently openly criticizes conformity throughout the story. Paul’s criticisms can be seen in his detailed observations of people and their routines. However, none of these criticisms compare to Paul’s hate for his home on Cordelia Street. Cather describes Cordelia Street and notes that all of the houses are the same. Later on in the story, while Paul is in New York and is contemplating his fear of being reprimanded for his actions, he constantly reminds himself of the painful existence that awaits him in Cordelia Street.

In Willa Cather’s tragic story, Paul’s desire for the higher things in life over the way his life is now, this is what is responsible for his internal conflicts. And it is these internal conflicts that drive his disengagement from reality that lead to his eventual destruction. Paul’s dissatisfaction with his life is apparent in his acts of repulsion for his teachers. Paul seems to only be happy when he is able to lose himself in his art. So when a negative comment was made about his drawing, this causes even more problems for Paul. The way Paul expressed himself was through the art that he loved. It was the only way that he could actually express his thoughts and feelings because he had no one to talk to about his inner emotions. This could be a reason why his art only made sense to him and to no one else.

The story takes place in the twentieth century. Back then, society was a lot different. Homosexuality was not accepted. Just because being gay wasn’t accepted, it does not much that it was not a something that still went on. It was just something hidden. In the story, Paul is indirectly considered as a homosexual. Paul’s lack of relationship with his father and the absense of his mother figure could be a reason why Paul’s case has been called a “gay suicide”. In large part, the story suggests that the reason why his high school and neighborhood could not figure out what to make of him was because he was gay. Through the allusions in the story about Paul’s sexual identity and frustration, the story explores how the need to hide one’s identity, as well as the difficulty of finding sympathetic people, can lead to the deep feelings and alienation that lead Paul to act out, steal money, run away from home, and eventually it leads him to take his own life and kill himself. The struggles of being gay would have taken a toll on a person, tiring them down mentally. Some people come out with mental scars that haunt them and lead them into depression because they could be living a “fake life.” In a way, this could be exactly how Paul felt. He must have felt as if he were living another life that was not his because he knew that he could not expose his inner truths to the world in fear that no one in the world and in society, would ever truly accept him for who he truly was.

Depression hits everyone differently. Meaning, it affects everyone in different ways. Paul shows symptoms of depression. His character and way of being, it shows like he is trying to show the side of him that he has been hiding from the world. His views on the world are different compared to everyone else’s. Depression was too hard for Paul that at the end of the story, he takes his life. It is also implied in the story that Paul suffered from mood swings. The intense mood swings the he would have, stem from Paul’s whirring mind and his creative imagination. But also from his inability to find people to confide in and express what he is truly thinking and feeling. At times in the story, it seems as if Paul is able to find certain figures who can ease his feeling of alienation, especially to Charley Edwards. However, in describing Paul’s relationship to the young man with the slight implications of erotic attraction, the story underlines Paul’s inability to actually address his secuality. Although these relationships seem to initially suggest the possibility of finding comfort in connection, the relationship eventually fades away. In general, Paul remains to be painfully trapped in a world that forces him to hide his homosexuality from others, as well as himself.

Paul in today’s world would have had a lot of help because psychology is more advanced and it is clear now that Paul had a psychotic issue. Mental issues are still a problem today but it is more developed. It is clear that Paul had some type of internal problem that led him to take his life. Ultimately, Paul’s suicide is a testament to the tragic nature of the story. A story of a young man whose life was ruined in an early stage of his life by a world that would not accept him for who he was. Cather shows that the feeling of alienation that arise from being homosexual in a society that is completely against it, it can make life seem unbearable. However, in the last months of the story, as Cather shows Paul’s suicide to have been foolishly executed, she encourages the reader to believe that even for the most hopless case, there is always hope for self acceptance, self realization, love, and connection. And that these things can alleviate the most terrible feelings of alienation.