Willa Cather

Paul's Case Willa Cather

Willa Cather's short story "Paul's Case" was published in 1905 in McClure's Magazine. In its original iteration, the story was titled “Paul's Case: A Study in Temperament,” but it was later shortened to the current title. The book is about a boy's desire to escape what he sees as a dull and stifling environment and the tragic results of this. The main character, Paul, is a sensitive high-school student who despises his middle-class home and family and regards the art world as a glamorous alternative to his middle-class existence. He goes to art galleries, concert halls, and theatres until his father cuts him off from these and sends him to work in an office. Paul steals money from the firm and runs away to New York. There, he buys himself elegant clothes and rents a luxurious room in the Waldorf Hotel. Finally, his father is coming to find him. When Paul learns this, believing that his idyllic life is over, he commits suicide.