Paul's Case by Willa Cather
"Paul's Case" by Willa Cather is a poignant short story that explores themes of individuality, aspiration, and societal rejection through the lens of a troubled young boy named Paul. Set in a conventional school environment, the narrative opens with Paul facing criticism from his teachers and principal, who fail to understand his complex nature and artistic sensibilities. While he presents a facade of indifference and charm, his true passion lies in the world of art and performance, which starkly contrasts with his mundane middle-class life. Cather, a nonconformist herself, reflects on the limitations of traditional education and the importance of experiencing culture beyond the classroom.
Paul's yearning for a more glamorous existence leads him to theft, allowing him to briefly inhabit the luxurious life he dreams of. However, this fleeting satisfaction ultimately highlights the disconnect between his aspirations and societal norms, culminating in a tragic end. The story encapsulates Cather's belief in the transformative power of dreams, while simultaneously acknowledging the harsh realities that can accompany them. In its exploration of the struggle for authenticity in a conformist society, "Paul's Case" remains a compelling commentary on the nature of happiness and the sometimes insurmountable barriers to achieving it.
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Paul's Case by Willa Cather
First published: 1905
The Work
“Paul’s Case,” the only short story Willa Cather approved for anthologies, opens with a young boy called before his high school principal and teachers. They are unable to discern exactly what the boy’s problem is but they know that his offenses are many and that, mainly, he annoys them. He is suave and smiling, a bit of a dandy, wearing a flower in his lapel, certainly not appropriately dressed for one expected to be contrite. A slight tremor in his hands is the only hint of nervousness. His theatrical ways make him seem disdainful, which he is, and insolent. Within minutes, the educators fall into a frenzy of criticism, each taking a turn outlining the boy’s many faults.
Paul makes a great show of indifference. He leaves jauntily, whistling a tune from an opera, hoping that they will observe how little their petty grievances affect him. Indeed, Paul has a fantasy life that, while not protecting him from the reality of “Sabbath School picnics, petty economies, wholesome advice as to how to succeed in life,” nevertheless makes his existence bearable.
His other world consists of Carnegie Hall, art museums, and theater. His math and Latin are weak, but he knows the world of art and the glamour of performance. His true home is not the stultifying, middle-class house with its “unescapable odors of cooking,” but rather the cultural building. At the museum, he teases the Venus de Milo with a hand gesture, makes a face at Augustus Caesar. In the museum he is comfortable, puts on no shows, is himself, neither having to impress nor defend.
Willa Cather knew Paul’s world. She too was a nonconformist, impatient with society’s notions about what constitutes a proper education and upbringing. She believed that students should be exposed to the classics through other means than just reading them or reading about them. Much of her education occurred outside the classroom, in opera houses, theaters, and concert halls. Cather believed that the dream of happiness was the only reality, the true thing unattainable, always slightly out of reach. When thievery enables Paul to fulfill, temporarily, his dream of velvet carpets, fresh flowers, expensive clothes, and fine wine, to become “exactly the kind of boy he had always wanted to be,” one that “it would be impossible for anyone to humiliate,” he is destroyed. It is not the threat of punishment that destroys him but the far worse threat of society waiting to rehabilitate him.
Cather’s epitaph reads: “That is happiness: to be dissolved into something complete and great.” The echo of these words from her novel My Ántonia (1918) conclude “Paul’s Case,” when Paul leaps in front of a train: “Then, because the picture-making mechanism was crushed, the disturbing visions flashed into black, and Paul dropped back into the immense design of things.”
Bibliography
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. Sexchanges. Vol. 2 in No Man’s Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1989.
Wasserman, Loretta. Willa Cather: A Study of the Short Fiction. Boston: Twain, 1991.
Woodress, James. Willa Cather: A Literary Life. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1987.