Study Questions for Cather's "Paul's Case":

1. What kind of person is Paul?  What do his parents think about him?  His teachers?

2. What characterisitics make his behavior "theatrical"? Why do people feel that his appearance and behavior are "peculiarly offensive in a boy"?

3. How does Paul's home differ from the romance of the theater?  Look at the description of his home in the middle of p. 207.  What objects does Paul notice and what do they tell you about him?  About his family's expectations for him?

4. Why is the street where Paul lives called "Cordelia Street"?  Look up the reference to Cordelia and the word "burghers" (208).  Why does the narrator call the other men in the neighborhood "overlords" and "chiefs" (208)?

5. Why does Paul bury the carnation at the end of the story?

6. What is the reason for Paul's tragedy?