Kaylee Drew
“Paul’s Case”

“Paul’s Case” by Anton Chekov is a story of a young man who struggles about his identity. He doesn’t believe he belongs in his home or in society. Nobody supports him. In the middle of “Paul’s Case” there is a switch in narration. At this point, the reader can associate with Paul’s violent problems. Paul undergoes external and internal conflict, causing him to be a puzzling character. From the perspective at his family and teachers, Paul seems abnormal. From society’s perspective Paul is a misfit juvenile. From his perspective; however, he seems misunderstood and lost. In the beginning of the story Paul seems to be a typical teenage boy who happens to be in trouble for causing violent outbursts at school. As the story progresses the reader can infer that Paul is very withdrawn and would rather live in his fantasy world rather than face reality. Paul dreaded coming home after the Carnegie Hall performances. He located his “ugly sleeping chamber with the yellow walls;” but, most of all, he feared his father. This intense fear of his father figure was the first sign of his troubled home life. Paul no longer has a mother in his life because of a long illness. Pauls’ father continuously compares and holds Paul’s to the standards of the neighbor boy as a “model.” His father would have outbursts that would cause Paul to avoid home as much as possible. The lack of affection Paul received at home forced him to search elsewhere for the affection he so eagerly craved. Society frowned upon Paul. He was bullied at school for his homosexuality and harassed because of his violent history. He could never escape the internal suffering that consumed him. However, he did have one escape method at the theater and Carnegie Hall. This is where Paul “really lived.” To him the rest of his life was but a “sleep and forgetting.” The moment Paul stepped into one of those places; he felt he was in his element. He “breathed like a prisoner set free.” Paul’s life was so monotones and dull in comparison to his theatre life, which he felt was his “secret temple.” This alone provides insight into his character. He truly believed that he belonged to the arts. This makes Paul’s case upsetting because no one believed him. This is what caused him to flee to New York, so he could be in a place where he would be accepted for his true self. Paul’s train trip is where the change in narration occurs. Prior to this point, the author used on omniscient point of view. From this point forward the reader reads from Paul’s point of view. The change in narration helps the reader understand his point of view. He is not, as it seemed in the beginning, an abnormal person. He has dreams and ambitions. The fact that he went to such extreme measures to fulfill his dreams of visiting New York shows his determination. Paul is far from perfect, because he ran away from home and stole money to fulfill his dreams. He committed a crime; theft. He did all this in order to insure that he would never have to return to Cordelia Street. For him, home was “worse than jail,” and he thought of it as “sickeningly vivid.” This shows his ultimate unhappiness. Paul definitely wasn’t a saint; but, nor was he a sinner. Paul was debating committing suicide and after some time he had finally realized he should follow through with this act. Paul’s death by suicide was foreshadowed when “he sat staring at the revolver.” However, when he decided “that wasn’t the way,” a false sense of hope was installed into the reader’s mind.“ Hope” that he would return home and fix himself. The struggles of his violent rage, his homosexual alienation, the constant neglect by his father and friends, and the lines of being an addict; he was left with nothing. This flicker of hope came to an abrupt end, as did Paul’s life, when he threw himself in front of a speeding locomotive. The only thing left was a red carnation. This simple flower was the ultimate symbol that represented Paul’s life. The carnations burial is a symbolic prelude to Paul’s actual suicide.
Paul’s case is easy to relate to, partly because there is a little of Paul in everyone. At one time or another, all people find the need for acceptance. In Paul’s case, he took that need of acceptance too far and ended up dying. The switch in narration really brings Paul’s plight into focus. It’s the moment when he is in New York that the reader can see how desperately he wants to be a part of something meaningful for once in his life. He was a normal teenage boy with a shattered life. A dense story about a moving boy and the battles that he was forced to face with society, family, and himself. He never had the opportunity to become something great, as he is forever young.