Paul s Unhealthy Desire in Pauls Case Essay -- Pauls Case Essays

capital of Minnesota s Unhealthy Desire in capital of Minnesotas side In her short story capital of Minnesotas Case, Willa Cather tells the tale of a young boys dispute to separate himself from his common, everyday feel and the people he shared it with. capital of Minnesota admired the opulence of the theater, the wardrobe, the perfumes, the lights, the colors, the flowers, and the champagne. When he realized it wasnt possible to maintain these things, he threw his life away. Cathers purpose was to show that, by instruction on what he didnt have, Paul could not withstand at all.Many clues were given that Paul dreamed of leaving town. For instance, he was exhilarated by the Venetian scenes and streets of capital of France depicted in the picture gallery. He loved to listen to his sire speak of palaces in Venice, yachts on the Mediterranean, and high play at monte Carlo (202). Also, when no one paid attention to his stories, Paul announced to his classmates that he would be l eaving to travel for a while. These acts foreshadow Pauls fleeing to New York. The item that he actually stole money to take this trip shows how intensely desperate he was to leave. By constantly fantasizing about being someplace he wasnt, Paul could not possibly live where he was. passim the story, flowers are used to symbolize Pauls situation. The red carnation he wears to the impact with his teachers is viewed by them as flippant and scandalous (195-196). This also suggests his attitude towards the gathering. Paul was very nonchalant about the entire thing. His clothes may have been a bit small and tattered, but by wearing that flower, Paul had no trouble holding his head up. He had always acted as if he were on a higher level than his teachers, and he snarl it necessary to humiliate them and give them no s... ... of Adriatic water and the yellow of Algerian sands (213). These are both natural images, both beautiful, and neither stop artificial elements. This is significant in that Paul spent his life focusing on the beauty of artificiality, but when I feel this sense of herb of grace in Paul, this epiphany, it is too late.Paul stated a few propagation throughout the story that being in the atmosphere of luxury was the solitary(prenominal) thing that could be called living at all (198). He speaks of these clock as orgies of living, so I would imagine when he realized he could not afford that life, he felt that he could not live at all (200). Paul s unhealthy desire for a life of luxury drove him to believe that his ordinary life was not comely of existence.Work CitedCather, Willa. Pauls Case. Literature A Pocket Anthology. Ed. R.S. Gwynn. New York Addison-Wesley, 2002. 194-213.