Pauls Case Theme

Willa Cather’s story, Paul’s Case, revolves around the life of a young man named Paul. This story brings out the life of this young boy as one that is full of desires and dreams but he cannot work to fulfill them. The author has employed the use of character, action and imagery to bring out the three themes, viz. harm of relentlessness to achieving ones dreams, the danger of misunderstanding money and wealth, and the effect of materialism in one’s life.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Paul’s Case Theme specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main character in the story is Paul. He comes from a poor background which moves him to have a desire for a more luxurious and wealthy living. In order for someone to acquire such a lifestyle, he/she should be industrious just as the saying goes, â€Å"nothing comes on a silver plate.† Paul only admires other peoples’ work but he does no t want to do much to achieve the life he desires. He is obsessed with art, music and theatre; the main factors that enhance his passion as an usher in the Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh. At one point he decides to forego supper in order to arrive at the hall in time. When he finds that the hall is not opened he decides to go to the picture gallery where he spends a lot of time admiring the great works holed there. Despite his passion for arts, Paul does not do anything in the field of arts to improve his standards of living; on the contrary, he keeps admiring other people’s work. Cather states that, â€Å"He had no desire to become an actor, any more than he had to become a musician. He felt no necessity to do any of these things; what he wanted was to see, to be in the atmosphere, float on the wave of it, to be carried out, blue league after blue league, away from everything† (32). This is evident that Paul did not want to work despite his desire to live a good life. Mis understanding money and wealth as the necessities to living a good life is an issue that the writer explores deeply. She brings out Paul as a character who holds that, in order to have a luxurious life one needs to have money. However, Paul violates the very basic principle that, in order to get money one needs to work and work hard. In illustrating this, Cather brings out the life of a certain young man who has climbed up the ladder by embracing his work as a clerk. Lack of understanding makes Paul to live a miserable life since he cannot do anything substantial to enhance income generation. For instance, Cather notes, â€Å"Paul bounded upstairs, scrubbed the greasy odor of the dishwater from his hands with the ill-smelling soap he hated† (27). What a disgusting situation! Paul looks down upon the people in his neighborhood including his own teachers. This is because he feels that he is the only one with the knowledge on how to build wealth. All along Paul knows that he nee ds money but he does not work at getting it.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The writer says, â€Å"He had not a hundred dollars left; and he knew now, more than ever, that money was everything, the wall that stood between all he loathed and all he wanted† (16). It is thus evident that one has to put efforts to better his/her life rather than fantasizing about good lives that he/she might never achieve; if anything, Cather insinuates that, fantasy never mimic the reality. Cather employs imagery to underscore the harm of relentlessness towards achieving one’s dream in what many would call the pursuit of the American dream. For instance, he uses Paul’s addiction to art as a form of hindrance to hard work. His obsession occupy much of his time that he does not even realize that it has become as a form of an addictive drug to him. He cannot see and exploit o ther ways, which he can utilize to yield a lot other than pleasure. The author explores food as an imagery to bring out the distinctive gap between the rich and the poor. When Paul follows the soprano to the hotel, he begins to ponder about the good food that the soprano will enjoy. â€Å" He reflected upon the mysterious dishes brought into the dining room, the green bottles in buckets of ice, as he had seen them in the supper party pictures of the Sunday World supplement †(Cather 17). This is the type of food that Paul desires but he cannot afford due to his poor standards of living. Just as a poor man’s food that is not appetizing to many, the Cather likens Paul’s life to such food referring to it as a flavorless, colorless mass of everyday existence (19). The terms that the writer uses to describe the food represents Paul’s tasteless and meaningless life. Paul is poor thus his constant desire for wealth. The red carnations that Paul wears in his butto nhole represent Paul’s continued defiance to his teachers. Paul constantly goes against the teachers’ expectations. Later on in his life, Paul brings red carnations that are wilted as he walks to the train tracks. The wilting of the red carnations helps him to realize that, it takes only a short time for the beauty of life to disappear. Paul buries one of the red carnations in the ice before leaping in front of a train. In this act, the writer brings out the eventual death and disappearance of Paul. The writer’s use of action also helps in bringing out the theme of laziness in the story. In the beginning of the story, the writer tells us that the boy had gone to sleep on a certain warm afternoon. This shows that Paul is a lazy boy. His laziness is evident in the story because despite his ambition to obtain wealth, he is not involved in any activity to generate money. Paul goes to New York in search of a better way of living.Advertising We will write a custo m essay sample on Paul’s Case Theme specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In conclusion, the writer employed character, imagery and action to pass her message to the readers. She puts it clear that people need to work towards their dreams instead of constantly fantasizing about them. It is also important to note that, ‘Paul’s Case’ warn that people should have a clear understanding of the difference between money and wealth/ work. One has to work in order to get money hence wealth. The writer insinuates that materialism should not be our drive towards good life. This is because it can lead one to do things he/she did not intend to do. Works Cited Willa, Cather. Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament, 1906. Web. https://www.shsu.edu/ This essay on Paul’s Case Theme was written and submitted by user Melissa Buck to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Perry March Convicted of Wifes Murder

Perry March Convicted of Wifes Murder On August 17, 2006, Perry March, a successful corporate lawyer, was sentenced in the murder of his wife, Janet March, ending a 10-year-long mystery.  Nearly a decade to the day after Perrys conviction, Janet March had mysteriously disappeared from her four-acre Forest Hills estate in Nashville, Tennessee, leaving behind two children and a thriving career as a painter and childrens book illustrator. Rumors spread like wildfire, but there was no evidence of foul play or that any crime had been committed. Gone Missing On the evening of August 15, 1996, Perry and Janet March got into an argument and, according to Perry, Janet decided to take a 12-day vacation. She packed three bags, around $5,000 in cash, a bag of marijuana, and her passport, and drove off in her gray four-door 1996 Volvo 850 at 8:30 p.m., without telling anyone where she was going. Around midnight that night, Perry contacted his in-laws, Lawrence and Carolyn Levine, and told them that Janet had left on vacation. At first, the Levines didnt worry, but as time went on, their concerns grew. They wanted to contact the police but later said Perry had discouraged them from doing it. Perry said it was the other way around. Perry and the Levines searched for Janet for several days, but when their efforts failed, they contacted the police together. By that time, it had been two weeks since Janet had disappeared. Perry and Janet had two children together- a son, Samson, and a daughter, Tzipora. Perry said that Janet had planned to return by August 27 to celebrate Samsons birthday. However, this struck investigators as odd because Samsons birthday party was scheduled for August 25, two days before Janets return date. Investigators also learned that sometime during the day of August 15, Janet had asked her mother to go with her to see a divorce attorney the next day. Janet had discovered that Perry had paid  $25,000 to avoid a sexual harassment suit after he was caught writing sexually explicit letters anonymously to a paralegal that worked in his office.  (March had been fired from that company as a result and was hired on at his father-in-laws firm. It was at that point that March learned about the potential of a sexual harassment suit against him.) The authorities believed that Janet had confronted Perry about wanting a divorce, and an argument had erupted.    The Rolled-Up Rug There were also questions about a rug that was seen at the March home the day after Janet disappeared. On Friday, August 16, Marissa Moody and Janet March had planned to meet for part of the day so that their sons could play together. When Moody arrived at the March residence at the scheduled time, Janet was of course not at home. Perry was, however, but he did not come out of his office to greet Moody. He merely sent word through Samson that she could still drop off her son to play. While at the March home, Moody noticed that a large, dark, rolled-up rug was lying on the floor. It was especially noticeable to Moody because Samson was bouncing on one end of it, and she knew that Janet kept the homes beautiful hardwood floors polished- and rug-free. When Moody returned to pick up her son, she told authorities  that the rug was gone. Another witness surfaced, stating that they had also seen a rug at the March home on August 16. However, Ella Goldshmid, the March childrens nanny, did not recall seeing a rug. When investigators questioned Perry about the rug, he denied that it existed and said that Moody never entered the home on the day that she claims to have seen a rug. Perrys denial about the rug led detectives to theorize that during the couples argument the night before, Perry, who held a black belt in karate, could have easily killed Janet, who weighed just 104 pounds, hidden her body inside the rug, then disposed of it the following day. More Suspicious Evidence On September 7, Janets car was located at a Nashville apartment complex. The police found Janets passport and other personal effects, but there was no sign of Janet.  Janets car was backed into the parking spot. According to Janets best friend, she only pulled into parking places and never backed into them. A flight attendant remembered seeing someone that looked like Perry leaving that  apartment complex on a mountain bike at around 1:00 a.m. on the night Janet disappeared. Perry and Janet shared a personal computer and not long after she went missing, so did the computers hard drive. Leaving Nashville In September, a month after Janet disappeared, Perry and the children moved to Chicago. Shortly after the move, Perry and his in-laws, the Levines, got into a legal battle over Janets assets. Perry wanted to be granted control of her assets and the Levines opposed it. They also wanted visitation rights, which Perry was vehemently opposed to, saying that they only wanted access so the detectives could interview the children. In 1999, the court awarded the Levines visitation, but before they could see the children, Perry moved his family to his fathers house in Ajijic, Mexico. In response, the Levines had Janet declared legally dead and filed a civil lawsuit against Perry for wrongful death in the disappearance of their daughter. Perry failed to show up for court, and the Levines were awarded $133 million. Perry had the verdict overturned on appeal. Grandparents Fight for Custody A year after moving to Mexico, Perry married Carmen Rojas Solorio. The couple had a child together. The Levines continued their fight to visit their grandchildren. With the help of the Mexican government, they were able to bring Samson and Tzipora to Tennessee for a maximum visitation of 39 days. The Levines then began their fight to gain full custody of the children. Perry felt that the Levines had abducted his children and two Tennessee attorneys agreed to represent him pro  bono. The Levines lost, and the children were returned to their father. Cold Case Detectives In early 2000, two cold case detectives revisited the disappearance of Janet March. By 2004, the investigators and the prosecutors office had compiled evidence against Perry and presented it to a grand jury. The jury returned an indictment against Perry on charges of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. Perry was also indicted for felony theft for an alleged 1999 theft of $23,000 from his father-in-laws firm, where he was working. Perry presumably stole the money to raise the $25,000 that would quash claims by the paralegal that he had written her sexually explicit letters. The indictment remained secret until the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Mexican government could work out Perrys extradition. In August 2005, nearly nine years after Janet March disappeared, Perry March was deported from Mexico and placed under arrest. During the bond hearing, one of the cold case detectives,  Pat Postiglione, stated that during the flight from Mexico to Nashville, Perry said he was willing to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of no more than five to seven years. Perry denies ever making such a statement. A Plot to Kill the In-Laws Perry was held in the Nashville County jail. There he befriended inmate Russell Farris, who was awaiting trial for attempted murder. Perry told Farris that he could arrange to have his bond posted if he would agree to kill the Levines. The discussion went on for weeks. Farris ended up telling his attorney about it, and the information was turned over to the authorities. Farris agreed to work with the police, and the police recorded subsequent conversations between the two men. Also recorded were conversations Farris had with Perrys father, Arthur March, who was still living in Mexico. Arthur told Ferris the best time of day to go to the Levines home, how to obtain a gun, the type of gun to get, and how to travel to Ajijic, Mexico, after he had killed the Levines. Farris told Perry he was being released, although he was really being transferred to another county jail. Before Farris left, Perry wrote down the Levines address and handed him the piece of paper. Perry was arrested and charged with two counts of solicitation to commit murder by the Davidson County prosecutors. He was also charged with two counts of conspiring to commit murder by federal prosecutors. Perry’s father Arthur  was also charged with the same crimes but remained in Mexico as a fugitive. In 2006, Arthur pleaded guilty to the solicitation charge and worked out a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against Perry for the murder of Janet March. Perrys Trials In April 2006, Perry was found guilty of embezzling $23,000 from his father-in-laws firm. In June 2006, he was convicted of the conspiracy to murder the Levines. In August 2006, Perry went on trial for second-degree murder  of his wife,  tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. Along with other evidence, a videotaped deposition given by Arthur March was played for the jury.  In it, Arthur talked about how much he disliked the Levines and spoke with disdain about Janet. He then said that Perry killed Janet by striking her with a wrench. A few weeks after her murder, Perry had driven Arthur to where he had disposed of the body and explained that it had to be moved because it was about to become a construction site. The two then drove Janets remains to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where Arthur disposed of it in some thick brush. Her body has never been found, even though Arthur March tried to lead authorities to the spot where he remembers leaving Janet. Convicted On August 17, 2006, just a week after the trial had started, the jury deliberated for 10 hours before reaching their verdict of guilty on all charges. Perry was sentenced to a total of 56 years for murdering Janet and for the attempted murder-for-hire of the Levines. He will not be eligible for parole until 2040. Arthur March was sentenced to five years for the attempted murder-for-hire of the Levines. He died three months later.