Paul's Case is actually the story of a boy who prefers a feminine lifestyle. Many people take the flower to be his way to spite the teachers when they try to punish him. More accurately, it it is example of Paul's flamboyance. Paul's alternative lifestyle is further demonstrated in his love of theater and his male friend from the theater. Paul's trip to New York City is an escape. Here, Paul dresses as a woman, and finally feels comfortable with himself. He spends hours dressing himself and looking pretty. He was finally the boy he wanted to be. He "falls in with a wild San Francisco boy..." who shows him the nightlife of New York. Paul kills himself at the end because he cannot go back to his town to live as a boy. His lifestyle is not accepted there, and once he had a taste he couldn't let go. As a woman, he felt comfortable and a sense of power. Also to be noted is Cather's use of the word "gay." "Gay" is not limited to the context of "happy," but is used to describe many things. Paul's Case," by Willa Cather, is a story that deals with a young boy who does not feel that he lives a life befitting of him. Upon a close reading, it is evident that "Paul's Case" is ruled by irony and symbolism, which are apparent in the story through the words of the narrator. The irony woven throughout the text builds up to an epiphonic moment, a main paradox in the story, which reveals to the reader Paul's true nature. Paul believes that everyone around him is beneath him. He is convinced that he is superior to everyone else in his school and in his neighborhood. He is even condescending to his teachers, and shows an appalling amount of contempt for them, of which they are very aware. In one class he habitually sat with his hand shading his eyes; in another he always looked out of the window during the recitation; in another he made a running commentary on the lecture, with humorous intention. Paul wanted everyone to think he was better than they wer...
