When amongst adamant followers of social norms, unique individuals might face discrimination for standing out and breaking the status quo. It is fair to say that these individuals strive to reach a sense of belonging and gain an organic sense of community. The main character in Willa Cather’s short story, Paul’s Case, dreams of a place where his vibrant personality can thrive and he can freely blossom into a young man who does not live in fear of societal rejection, because the community he calls home, accepts him for who he is. In his critical, literary essay, “Willa Cather’s Lost Boy: ‘Paul’s Case’ and Bohemian Tramping,” Terrell Scott Herring argues that Paul does not seek to reinvent himself or become like the people he admires (e.g. the …show more content…
He is physically described as having, “eyes [which] were remarkable for a certain hysterical brilliancy, and he continually used them in a conscious, theatrical sort of way, peculiarly offensive in a boy,” (468), and for wearing clothes that were, “a trifle out-grown,” and yet, “there was [still] something of the dandy about him,” (468). Paul’s old-fashioned sense of style and peculiarly upbeat demeanor do not serve as weaknesses, but rather, bring about an innate sense of charismatic self-assuredness. This confidence is evident during the disciplinary student-teacher conference when his teachers, “fell upon him without mercy”, and how in spite of this, “he stood through it smiling…[when] older boys than Paul had broken down and shed tears under that ordeal, but his set smile did not once desert him,” (469) thus making it apparent that Paul stands apart from his peers in a positive, uplifting fashion. And yet, his confidence functions as an annoyance to those around him, especially his teachers who believe, “the boy is not strong…[and] there is something wrong about [him],” (470). Paul recognizes all the negativity that he receives from the world around him and, therefore, he cherishes any place where he can escape from the drab normalcy of reality and feel comfortable in his own