Self-imposed Estrangement in Pauls Case Essay -- Willa Cather

self-imposed Estrangement in Pauls Case, by Willa CatherMany times, we try to separate ourselves from the human being around us we distance ourselves from society that gives us life. What is worse, we are voluntarily subjected to the lonesomeness which precedes wallowing in our own self pity. Pauls Case, in which the constitution of the black-market progression of deliberate seclusion presents the major conflict, centers around a spring chicken man, in his alienation, suppressing his need for attention and satisfying himself through his own knowledge base established through his seclusion. The author, Willa Cather, renders this main theme by her insinuations of the character, by the evidence of view she chooses to illuminate Pauls characteristics, and by key symbols that abide to the overall work. The character presented by Cather through Paul, withdraws himself from his environment creating the base for the theme of his progressively intensifying need for distinct separatio n. The reasons Paul acts the way he does seems two fold. First, the sequence of events could be caused by psychological damage or some mental condition, possibly stemming from his mothers death, which was only alluded to in the story. Paul was a teenager who displayed certain signs of a mental illness. According to The Medical consultant, Paul suffers from umteen of similar symptoms of a narcissist. Although the personality disorder was non diagnosed until 1977, and was not perfected until 1987 and expanded upon in 1994, Cathers character of 1904 embodies many of the symptoms listed. Of those Paul qualifies for are highly developed sense of self importance, intentness with fantasies of unlimited success, belief that he or she is special, feeling he has the look up to of peers... ...in a connection with his mother. This bond further alienates him with the world by sleeper with the departed his mother is separated by death, thus by professing to the world his connection with h is mother brings him one step further from sanity. As he comes to realize that the mere emotional connection with his mother is not enough to isolate him, the flower becomes submersed into a sea of vacuous as it is buried in the snow, and Paul achieves his ultimate escape and self-annihilation creates the desired connection with his mother. Willa Cather, carefully weaving together a recently character to which understanding is complex, an interesting and enlightening twist on the period of time of view, and multi-dimensional use of symbolic motifs that describe the characters personality and dreams, has created a universal theme of the grave progression of self-imposed estrangement.