Question

Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" is rich with symbolism, particularly in the use of flowers as symbols. Examine Cather's use of flowers as symbols and analyze how it may contribute to either a theme of alienation or any theme of your own

Answer 1

Hello!

PAUL'S CASE firstly, is a short story .Paul is a young man here , who struggled to fit in at home , school and in the world ,who ultimately commits suicide because the thought of returning to his old life was too much for him to handle,and felt the need to escape .(I have narrowed the story down here ).

Now , moving on to the important part of the question ,"Flowers as Symbols ";

The flowers that appear consistently in this story represents Paul trying to see and find beauty in a very mundane ,uncertain world. It is also significant that the flowers represent artificiality:the flowers Paul sees as he rides through New York are growing under glass ,in an artificial environment. Paul tends to find natural things ugly and observed that "the natural nearly always wore the guise of ugliness.This is significant because Paul can't love himself as he is .Rather, he loves and nurtures the artificial illusions of himself that he creates.

The Flowers here is his attempt to be something he is not and to appear "better than" his teachers ,to show that he doesn't care about being disciplined. Later,when the flowers begin to droop, it is as if the brief period of glory Paul experiences is also ending. He remembers the flowers under glass and that they, too have faded by now ,having experienced too much glory .His final act of burying the flower under the snow ,shows Paul's death.

I believe that Paul by now also feels thatbhe appears more beautiful in his new attire and way of living though it is all false and artificial .The sad reality here I would say is that Paul was never able to learn who he really was and to love himself.

The flowers also symbolise Paul,who like flowers in winter, is out of place .The flower-killing snow he sees in the train to New York and by the railroad tracks at the story's end provide a stark contrast to the bright flowers Paul surrounds himself with.

Thankyou, hope this helped!