Paul’s Unexpected Consequences After reading “Paul’s Case” which was written by “Willa Cather” and its movie, which was directed by Lamont Johnson, there was a common theme between both the movie and the book. This common theme dealt with wealth and how it affected our main character, Paul. It affected him in unexpected ways. These ways were both positive and negative and even had a long term effect on him. The common theme was how the pursuit of wealth can have unexpected consequences that are both positive, negative and could even last a lifetime. While Paul was seeking wealth either through his part time job at the theater as an usher or by taking his father’s check it led to an unexpectedly positive outcome. This was that Paul had a …show more content…
This quote allows the reader to see that Paul’s “new life” was quickly coming to an end and that he was going to be forced to go back to his normal life if he was not able to come up with a plan quickly. The possibility of having to go back to live with his father in his normal life may have clouded Paul’s idea of reality. Even though Paul unexpectedly experienced both positive and negative consequences on his quest for wealth, he also experienced a long term effect when he decided to take his own life. Paul made his decision when he realized that he didn't want to have to go back living in his small town and having to work at the theater. The idea of Paul ending his life was first brought to the viewer’s attention when the camera zoomed into Paul’s bag as he got off the train. The bag is left on the train which made the viewer start to wonder why Paul is leaving it. It now causes the viewer to question what is going through Paul’s mind and it also builds suspense. Another prime example that helped drive home the idea that Paul was about the make a decision that would have a long lasting impact on him was when he was getting a ride home from the train station from a horse and buggy. Instead of having the horse and buggy drop him off at his house, he tells the driver that he could drop him off in the middle of the woods and that
By the end of the story, we know a number of reasons for his action: the death of his mother, his desire to connect with the upper class, his unrealistic love for the fine art, his homosexual trends, his separation from the world, and his incredible thirst for money. Paul was very self-centered and vain. He only cared for himself and not how his actions would affect others.
He realizes just like his father and his mother he is using drug and alcohol to cope with his pain is slowly killing them. Paul still didn’t know if he wants to live or die so he flirts with the idea of death, but he stops himself at the last second.
I find often that people in society do not value their possessions as much as they value their inner self. Meaning that they are contempt with what they have with their family or themselves and what they have internally in the sense that they have peace of mind. They don’t need what they own in order to make them happy, they are happy with what they have. However, in the story Paul did believe the only way for him to be happy was to get away. This makes him easy to identify with as many people feel the same way about their own life and want to go to college far away in order to escape everyone.
throughout the novel Paul sees lies and pushes himself to find the truth. “I used to tell people that I once stared too long at a solar eclipse. But if that's the truth, if that really happened, why can't I remember it?” (39) This quote shows the time where Paul sees a lie in his past. because of this Paul is motivated 2 uncover the truth. this gives him a newly found confidence and he ultimately ends up understanding the truth in his past. Similarly Paul again these lies. he feels the need to go deeper, “ I yanked off my coke bottle glasses and shook them at him in Rage.’ There are questions that need to be answered about these! Am I such a stupid idiot fool that I stared at a solar eclipse for an hour and blinded myself? Is that who I am? And I am I an idiot?’” (264) Quotes all leave enormous live and demands the truth. Upon gaining this truth he get self appreciation and understands his past. Examples show site and how it helps Paul deepen his understanding of
In both stories, the authors use symbolism to show the reader the impact that the characters’ surroundings had on them. Paul reacted by running away and trying to make his dream world a reality. In the end, he decided that he would rather end his life than to return to the mundane lifestyle he left behind. The narrator of
To conclude, Paul’s choices affect himself in many ways. The book,Tangerine, by Edward Bloor shows that Paul’s choices in life lead to many positive and some negative consequences. Being able to play soccer, sticking up for himself, and not being afraid of his brother anymore, are just some things Paul receives from his choices throughout the
237). By riding his rocking horse Paul is able to predict the winner of horse races at the track. He uses this ability in an attempt to provide for the family. In doing this he tries to assume his father’s in an attempt to please his mother and the household’s constant whispering the need for more money. “I started it for mother. She said she had no luck, because father is unlucky, so I thought if I was lucky, it might stop whispering.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 240) even as Paul is dying he is still consumed with trying fill the role of a provider for his mother, “I never told you, mother, that if I can ride my horse and get there, then I’m absolutely sure – oh, absolutely! Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky!” […] “But the boy died in the night.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp. 245). Paul’s death was a sacrifice to please his mother, who put her desires for money and material things above the love of her children.
enters peoples houses and surrounds himself with what they have and for a moment he is able to pretend that what they have belongs to him. Paul creates a new identity for himself as
A lifelong dream of Paul occurs when he makes the trip to New York City. The trip to New York City gives Paul the opportunity to live the life he always dreamed of. After being forced to leave his job as an usher at Carnegie Hall Paul gets a job working at Denny and Carson’s office firm. He gets the money to go to New York City by taking the money
what the young men are becoming. Then, in an attempt to regain himself when he goes
After being forced to leave his job as an usher at Carnegie Hall Paul gets a job working at Denny and Carson's office firm. He gets the money to go to New York City by taking the money he was supposed to deposit in the bank from Denny and Carson's deposit and pockets it. Paul arrives in New York and lives the luxurious life by buying fancy clothes and checking into a nice hotel. After eight days in New York his fun runs out when he discovers in the Pittsburgh papers that his father had reimbursed the firm and was coming to get him. "Paul had just come in to dress for dinner; he sank into a chair, weak to the knees, and clasped his head in his hands. It was worse than jail, even; the tepid waters of Cordelia Street were to close over him finally and forever" (Cather 11). After succeeding
Paul finally escaped the hostile world he lived in, but his money-bought romance did not last long. When he discovers that his theft has been made known in the new papers, and all the stolen money has ran out, he knew he had to go back to his real life. After a week of having the glamorized life he was longing for, Paul refused to go back to face the reality that he left behind in Pittsburgh. Paul knew he couldn’t go on forever in the City with no money in his pockets so he decided to give up on his own life. While going to get on his train that would bring him back to reality, Paul stepped out in front of it and killed himself.
Paul`s life is in chaos as he is attempting to uproot his entire life by creating a façade to appeal to the white upper-class. It is this façade, however, that gives Paul control in his life as he is finally able to belong to a family with the Kittredges. This imbalance in Paul`s life causes him to be an Other because he has changed his entire life to simply swindle wealthy whites.
It is as if Paul lives in the sun and knowledge of the world, baring that burden while others in society live in darkness with slight sliver of light from the moon believing they know the world to its full extent when in reality they are blind and in the dark. This affects Paul since he possess ideas from another point of view that others have no clue about. This is important because without the knowledge that Paul posses, he would be like his none the wiser parents, which would affect the story a great deal. For example, on page 152, Paul tells his friend, “Don’t do this. Don’t come in here with attitude.” Paul knows how to adapt to the places around him and knows that by accepting the facts and the brunt of the blow, they will accept him begin to
Paul's father had abused him emotionally, and probably physically, throughout Paul's life. He did so much to Paul's flagging self-image that he had to boast to others to make himself feel big, when he felt tiny inside. When he finally achieved that "bigness" that he always wanted, the glamour of "the good life," his father found him out and took that away from him, or rather, made Paul give it up. This made Paul feel even smaller and made him feel that he would be better off dead. So Paul decided to make his life "better off" and