Paul's Case
Who takes Paul's mind off his English Teacher?
The Soprano. Paul loves to hear her sing.
Why do the other ushers sit on Paul?
He becomes too excited while getting dressed.
How does Paul die?
He takes cabs to a set of railroad tracks in Pennsylvania and leaps in front of an oncoming train.
Which painting does Paul admire most?
"Blue Rico"
The Soprano
A German singer. To Paul, the soprano seems to be a highly romantic figure, when in fact she is a middle-aged mother. This gap between perception and reality is typical of Paul, who idealizes what he does not understand. The soprano also lives (at least in Paul's mind) a life of glamour and beauty that Paul craves. Her stay at the Schenley, a posh hotel, may inspire Paul's flight to the Waldorf in New York.
What did Paul take out after hearing the news?
A revolver that he had purchased when he first came to New York. He decides that he wants to kill himself, but NOT with the revolver.
Describe Paul's night with the Yale Student
A rich boy from San Francisco takes Paul out for a night on the town. They return home at 7 AM next morning. Something unmentionable happens between Paul and the Yale student, who spend a night out on the town together in New York. The narrator says only that they part on bad terms, without explaining why. It is possible that a sexual encounter, or an attempt at one, soured their friendship.
Young Clerk
A twenty-six-year-old man held up as an example by Paul's father. The clerk embodies everything Paul wants to avoid in his own life. He married an unattractive woman, fathered four children, lives on Cordelia Street, and brags about his boss, a steel magnate.
Charley Edwards
A young actor in a Pittsburgh theater troupe. Charley Edwards allows Paul to hang out backstage, help him with his costumes, and observe rehearsals. However, when Paul is forbidden to return to Carnegie Hall, Charley agrees not to see him anymore. Cather hints that Charley may recognize and share Paul's homosexual tendencies.
What is the result of Paul's lying and bragging?
At school, his peers dislike him. The principle speaks with his father; Paul is forbidden from going to school (his dad puts makes him work), Carnegie Hall, theater where Charley Edward works. (Charley AGREES to this) Theater company thinks his lies are funny.
What does the Drawing Master reveal after the faculty meeting?
That Paul's mother died in Colorado of a long illness just after Paul was born.
Who was interviewed after Paul was exposed as a thief?
The Cumberland minister and Sabbath school teacher- Both still have hope for Paul.
Paul
The protagonist and antihero of the story. An idealistic, lying, suicidal young man, Paul fits in nowhere and looks down on nearly everyone he knows. He is class-conscious and reserves his approval for rich people and those involved in the art world. Desperate for both acceptance and superiority over others, he lies about his friendships with actors to make himself seem important. He ends his life after stealing money and spending it all on a lavish spree in New York City.
What does Charley Edwards's see in Paul
something akin to what Churchmen term 'vocation.'
How does Paul afford Sunday night rehearsal at Charley Edwards's theater?
He asked his dad for money, claiming that he must go to George's for Geometry help.
Why does Paul lie?
He does not enjoy lying, but he does so to be admired.
What does Paul do when he returns home?
He dreds the thought of seeing his father and going to his room. He sneaks in basement. He imagines that his father mistook him for a burglar and shot him. Thinks his dad wants to shoot him.
Where does Paul go after the faculty meeting? What does he do?
He goes to his Usher job at Carnegie Hall (in Pittsburgh). He is early, so he looks at paintings of Paris and Venice in the gallery.
How does Paul explain his coming home late?
He had no car fare, so he spend the night at a friends house.
What does Paul realize about money?
He has less than $100 dollar left of stolen money. He realizes that money IS everything... the wall between all he loathed and all he wanted.
Who arrives at Carnegie Hall? How does Paul react?
His English Teacher. He is annoyed that he has to seat her, but is comforted by the fact that her clothes are INAPPROPRIATE for the fancy venue.
What does Paul think of before he dies?
"the folly of his haste" and thinks of the places that he will never see. the blue of Adriatic water, the yellow of Algerian sands.
What is "missing" from Paul's hotel room at the Waldorf?
All that's missing are flowers, which Paul sends a bellboy out to buy.
Schenley
All the actors and singers of the better class stayed at this HOTEL Paul had often hung about the hotel, watching the people go in and out, longing to enter
Paul's Father
An unnamed widower. Paul's father, in Paul's view, is simply a potential disciplinarian. However, Cather portrays Paul's father as a deeply generous man who provides for his children and looks after their well-being. His concern about Paul's troubles in school, his willingness to pay back the $1,000 Paul stole, and his quest for his vanished son all demonstrate his deep kindness.
Where does Paul live (in Pittsburgh)? Does Paul like his home?
Cordelia Street. He loathes his home because everyone is the same.
Which faculty member "lead the pack" in the crusade against Paul?
English Teacher
At the beginning of the story, Paul meets with whom? Why?
Faculty Members It was Paul's afternoon to appear before the faculty of the Pittsburg High School to account for his various misdemeanors. He had been suspended a week ago, and his father had called at the principal's office and confessed his perplexity about his son..
What makes Paul "Feel alive"?
Music and theater
Does Paul really want to go back to school?
NO. But he tells the faculty members that he does.
Is Paul lonely?
NO. He has no desire to be WITH the people around him.... He only wants to view them from afar.
The English Teacher
One of the faculty members. The English teacher is keenly aware of the contempt Paul feels for her and the other teachers. She knows that he has a "physical aversion" to her that he cannot control, and this knowledge hurts her feelings. She spearheads the attack against Paul during the meeting. Later, when she attends the symphony at Carnegie Hall, she covers her confusion at encountering Paul by acting snobby.
The Drawing Master
One of the faculty members. The drawing master defends Paul to the other teachers, positing that he is disturbed rather than simply rude. He makes the only mention of Paul's dead mother in the story and worries about Paul's physical weakness.
What happens after the performance at Carnegie Hall?
Paul follows the Soprano back to her hotel, and fantasizes about going inside. It is raining outside. Paul must go home, which he dreads.
Describe how Paul managed to afford his trip to New York?
Paul got a job with Denny & Carson's, and when asked to take a deposit to the bank and leave the books to be balanced. There were $2000 in checks, and $1000 in bank notes. He deposited only the checks and pocketed $1,000 in cash. He asked for a full day's holiday tomorrow, Saturday. He is using this stolen money to fund his spree in New York.
How does Paul's appearance shock the Drawing Master?
Paul seemed to have a very AGED appearance
Desscribe Paul's apperance
Paul was tall for his age and very thin, with high, cramped shoulders and a narrow chest. His eyes were remarkable The pupils were abnormally large, as though he were addicted to belladonna.
What animal is Paul afraid of?
Rats
Why is Paul disgusted by his father's conversation with the clerk?
The clerk married a woman ASAP and had kids... Paul's father wants Paul to get a job and be like the clerk. Paul's only business interest is being a cash boy in Clario, Venice or Monte Carlo.
What does Paul discover on his eighth day in New York?
The firm of Denny & Carson announced that the boy's father had refunded the full amount of his theft, and that they had no intention of prosecuting. Paul been seen in a New York hotel, and his father had gone East to find him and bring him home.
Why does Paul get "excited" when dressing?
The music
What happens after Paul discovers that his story has made the news?
The next morning, he wakes up, hungover, and looks at the gun he purchased on his first day in New York. In the end, he takes cabs to a set of railroad tracks in Pennsylvania and leaps in front of an oncoming train.
What surprises Paul about the lives of the theater company members?
Their lives are difficult, not the glamorous dream worlds that Paul imagines.
What does Paul notice about the red carnations in his coat? - Suicide day
They are drooping.
How does Paul's choice of dress offend faculty members?
They are offended by the red carnation that he wears in his buttonhole. (view this as a sign of disrespect and a lack of seriousness)
Describe Paul's room
Ugly knickknacks and pictures of John Calvin and George Washington.
What is Paul's job at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh?
Usher
burghers
a member of the middle class who lived in a city or town
