NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Paul s Ignored Case The adults in Willa Cather s story Paul s Case generally view Paul as a bad case. Webster s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines a case as a situation requiring investigation or action (p. 211). However, none of the adults ever actually investigate why Paul acts the way he does. Although they frequently reprimand him for his behavior, no one ever tries to determine the cause of it. Paul is, in fact, a very depressed young man.
He is unhappy at school, he is unhappy at home, and, in a way, he is even unhappy at the theater for he must constantly look at a life he knows he can never have for himself. Paul needs help but he never gets it. The lack of investigation into Paul s case ultimately leads to his demise. Even though Paul shows clear signs of depression at school, his teachers never take any time to try to help him.
To the reader, Paul s case seems fairly typical. He is an unhappy teenager and so he acts out at school. In fact, the very first thing we learn about Paul is that he has been suspended from school. His instructors describe his behavior as impertinent (5) and wrong (10). Furthermore, they also note that Paul has an odd physical aversion to them.
His English teacher describes an instance in which she tried to guide Paul s hand at the blackboard and he started back with a shudder and thrust his hands violently behind him (3). Unfortunately, Paul s instructors never try to figure out what exactly is wrong with Paul. Instead, they act mean and vindictive towards him. They are insulted by his obvious contempt for him, and during his appearance at the school, they [fall] upon him without mercy (4). They don t understand Paul and so they fear him and feel anger towards him when in fact they should be trying to help him. With very little investigation they would discover that Paul is very depressed and needs special attention.
Paul s father also seems to ignore that fact that Paul is completely miserable at home. His home life leaves much to be desired. Firstly, Paul is very frustrated with his economic status. This is most clearly expressed at the end of the story when Paul realizes that money [is] everything, the wall that [stands] between all he [loathes] and all he [wants] (62). He craves a romantic lifestyle that his economic status just won t allow. This causes him to feel contempt for the life he has and the street he lives on.
He doesn t feel comforted when he comes home, instead he has a hopeless feeling of sinking back forever into ugliness and commonness (19). His mother is absent from the story and we can safely assume she has died. His father doesn t seem particularly loving. In fact, Paul fears his father greatly. When he is imagining what might happen if he sneaks back into his house, he imagines his father coming to investigate the noise with a gun and just missing him because of Paul s scream. However, Paul wonders, suppose a day should come when his father would remember that night, and wish there had been no warning cry to stay his hand? (23).
He actually thinks his father might want to kill him! Of course, we see no evidence of this in the text, but it is clear that Paul is very scared of his father. Although it seems his father would never actually harm Paul physically, he certainly does ignore his needs. He has no care for Paul s desires and only lets him keep his job because he thought a boy ought to be earning a little (27). He never notices Paul s constant attempts to escape his life, both mentally and physically. The irony is that he does, in fact, want to help Paul, but he doesn t know how because he doesn t know what is wrong with Paul.
He thinks Paul just needs some direction and tries to steer him towards steady work, but what Paul really needs is some love. Unfortunately, he never gets it, and in the end his depression overtakes him and he commits suicide. Paul s case is an all too common one. He is a teenager who is very depressed but he is feared and misunderstood by the adults around him. Although he shows signs of depression he is ignored and never gets the help he needs and it ultimately leads to his own death.
Unfortunately, in this decade these kids become Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, or Andy Williams. When these kids don t get the love they need, people die.
Free research essays on topics related to: paul case, depressed, unhappy, doesn t, economic status
Research essay sample on Paul Case Doesn T
