Paul's Case Thesis

*This is my thesis that I wrote for my English class, I got 100% on it. :D I was very pleased about that. It was predicated on the short story entitled Paul's Case by Willa Cather.


Paul's Case proved to be compelling story of one boy's dream life and the consequences that came with it. He was obsessed with money, truly believing that money is all that there is for the world to endlessly struggle for. Believing this plausible theory led the poor boy to a world of fame and riches for a brief period of time. He was intoxicated by the sheer delight of a high class life. One can imagine that life is nothing more than a game but when money is the main goal one would do just about anything to earn a victory. Of course in Paul's Case he cheats his way through by stealing money to escape the life that he loathed. His runaway plan to New York City allowed him to finally experience his deepest fantasies until the end of his days.

Paul's thought "This was what all the world was fighting for, he reflected, this was what all the struggle was about." invites one to ponder is true meaning. Why does one attend their classes? To learn? To better their knowledge? The latter can be taken into consideration, but there is the evident conclusion that school is only in the existence for future money making. Without a proper education, one can find it difficult to earn some cash. Paul couldn't picture himself without luxurious things surrounding him. His mind could not comprehend that a life based on artificial belongings wasn't the greatest choice.

He never appreciated what he already had. It was all meaningless to him because a poor amount of money was involved.