Shamim 1 Maisha Shamim M r . Sandonato AP Literature and Composition 2 June 2014 Point of View in “Pauls Case! "illa Cathers short stor# “Pauls Case! tells the tale of a #oun$ man who %e % e & o m e s s o d i s i l l u s i o n e d w i t h l i f e i n P i t t s % u r $ h t h a t h e s t e a l s m o n e # f r o m h i s 'o ' o % ( r u n s a w a # t o ) e w *or + ( l i , e s t h e h i $ h l i f e f o r a w h i l e ( a n d e , e n t u a l l # &ommits sui&ide when he reali-es his father is &omin$ after him . Cather uses a te&hni&all# omnis&ient point of ,iew to tell Pauls stor# in the %e$innin$ howe,er( ,er# earl# on( she &han$es the point of ,iew to third person limited with respe&t to Paul . /here are a few reasons for this( in&ludin$ re,ealin$ Pauls &hara&ter throu$h othe rs o%ser,ations of him and $i,in$ full insi$ht into Paul s own thou$hts a%out those people who pro,ide o%ser,ations a%out him . /he &han$e in point of ,iew from omnis&ient to third person limited o&&urs at the %e % e $ i n n i n $ o f p a r a $ r a p h 1 1 ( a n d s e r , e s t h e p u r p o s e o f h i $ h l i $ h t i n $ t h e d i s t i n & t i o n %e % e t w e e n P a u l s t e a & h e r s d i s a p p r o , i n $ f e e l i n $ s a % o u t h i m a n d P a u l s o w n d i s d a i n toward his tea&hers( famil#( and nei$h%ors . “Pauls Case! %e$ins with the omnis&ient po int of ,iew( %ut fo&uses on Pauls tea&hers rea&tions to his inappropri atel# sua,e manner in the fa&e of threatened suspension from s&hool . /he# see his %eha,ior as disrespe&tful and unmindful of &onseuen&es( whi&h is ea&tl# what it is re,ealed to %e on&e the
Shamim 2 swit&h to third person limited is made . a&h tea&her remar+s or thin+s a%out the flower in Pauls 'a&+et or the insolent manner w ith whi&h he responds to e,er#thin$ he is as+ed . /he purpose of this short %out of third person omnis&ient point of ,iew is so that Cather &ould introdu&e Pauls &hara&ter throu$h e#es other than his own . /he rea&tions of the tea&he rs towards Pauls %eha,ior are indire&t &hara&teri-ation of Paul it is re,ealed that he is willfull# disrespe&tful( inattenti,e( and disdainful of e,er#thin$ around him . /his “spatial point of ,iew(! 3Simpson 12 or the fo&us on the tea& hers thou$hts despite the omnis&ient point of ,iew( ser,es the purpose of settin$ the sta$e for Pauls own rea&tions to the same thin$s( and eplanations of his %eha,ior throu$h his own thou$hts . At para$raph 11( the point of ,iew a%ruptl# &han$es to third person limited( fo&usin$ on Paul . 5e reiterates the eperien&es with his tea&hers( %ut he also $i,es an eplanation for wh# he treats them this wa#6 he is in&redi%l# disdainful of e,er#thin$ in Pitts%ur$h( in&ludin$ his s&hool( his fa mil#( and the nei$h%orhood he li,es in . 5e also eplains that he is loo+in$ for more from life than 'ust sittin$ around learnin$( then sittin$ around at a des+ 'o% . 5e lo,es the performin$ arts and wants to %e around them( %ut his &omfort at the hotel in )ew *or + su$$ests that he is also partial to luur# and epensi,e surroundin$s . 7nowin$ these thin$s ma# seem useless( %ut the# a&tuall# &ontri%ute to a sense of %elie,a%ilit# when Paul finall# &ommits sui&ide at the end of the stor# he was tired of his drear#( lon$in$ life in Pitts%ur$h and dread ed $oin$ %a&+ to it
Shamim 8 with his father( who would surel# punish him for stealin$ mone# and runnin$ awa# . /he purpose of the &han$e in point of ,iew from fo&usin$ on the tea&hers to Paul is so that Cather &ould effe&ti,el# hi$hli$ht the differen&e %etween the disappro,al of the tea&h ers for Pauls %eha,ior and Pauls reasonin$ for his %eha, ior . Pauls dreams of luur# and the sta$e also eplain some of the tea&hers o%ser,ations a%out him( su&h as the drawin$ tea&hers remar+ that Paul has a ,er# pale( ,ein# fa&e when he is not &ons&ious to distra&t from it with his smile . 5owe,er( there is another reason wh# Cather swit&hed the point of ,iew to third person limited . /his point of ,iew is( as the title su$ $ests( limited to one &hara&ter . /his la&+ of in,ol,ement with the other &hara&ters seems to %e a parallel of Pauls relu&tan&e to mi with other people( espe&iall# from the nei$h%orhood from whi&h he e,entuall# ran awa# . So( as a whole( the third person limited point of ,iew ser,ed two purposes hi$hli$htin$ the differen&es in s&hools of thou$ht %etween Pauls tea&hers and Paul himself( and also mirrorin$ the isolation in whi&h Paul prefers to +eep himself . "hen &onsiderin$ the stor# as a whole( the purpose of the shift in points of ,iew at para$raph 11 ma+es perfe&t sense . Cather wanted to 'utapose the tea&hers thou$hts a%out Paul with Pauls own thou$hts and the rea&tion s of the sta$e people to Paul . /he differen&es %etween these three situations are %i$ enou$h that the# aid in understandin$ wh# Paul de&ides that there is nothin$ left to do %ut &ommit sui&ide . Pauls tea&hers thin+ that he is 'ust another re %ellious &hild who has a ridi&ulous need to undermine authorit# and %e the &enter of
Shamim 4 attention . Paul sees himself as a man with more refined taste than an#one he has e,er met in his limited eperien&e of the world( i . e . Pitts%ur$h . 9or this reason( Paul feels as thou$h he will ne,er find his pla&e in the world( espe&iall# when his father &omes to ta+e him %a&+ to the dreaded Pitts%ur$h . 9inall#( the people of the sta$e respe&t Paul and treat him well when he is around( %ut when the# hear of his fantasti&al stories a%out them the# lau$h him off and promptl# for$et a%out him . /hese separate and ,er# different rea&tions to Paul su$$est not onl# that he is indeed different from an#one else in the nei$h%orhood in whi&h he li,es( %ut also that in is unli+el# that he would ha,e e,er found a pla&e where he would fit in( espe&iall# after his %ittersweet reali-ation that mone# indeed is e,er#thin$ . :n &on&lusion( “Pauls Case! emplo#s a strate$i& &han$e in point of ,iew from omnis&ient to third person limited earl# on in the stor# . /his &han$e ser,es the purpose of 'utaposin$ the rea&tions of people( in&ludin$ Paul( so as to paint a %etter pi&ture as to who Paul reall# is . "hile the tea&hers disappro,e of his %eha, ior and wish he would intera&t with them li+e a normal human %ein$( the a&tors he %e&omes friends with treat him li+e their friend until the# hear a%out the stories Paul had made up then their friendship was easil#( perhaps e,en $ratefull#( for$otten . 9inall#( %# &han$in$ to Pauls point of ,iew earl#( Pauls personalit# is also eposed earl# on in the stor# . 5owe,er( the &han$e to third person limited is also reminis&ent of Pauls relu &tan&e to mi with the people from his nei$h%orhood( his s&hool( and e,en the dan&e &ompan#( for eample
Shamim ; when he did not spend more time with the other %o#s %a&+sta$e after the# rou$hed him up a little . Cather effe&ti,el# used a &han$e in point of ,iew to eplain her &hara&ter more thorou$hl# and to &reate a mirror ima$e of Pauls self
Shamim = "or+s Cited Cather( "illa . “Pauls Case . ! Perrine’s Literature: Structure , Sound and Sense . d . /homas > . Arp and ?re$ Johnson . @oston6 /homson a nd "adsworth( 1B0 . 284<2;1 . Print . Simpson( Paul . Language, Ideology, and Point of View. Routledge( 186 12<1; . Questia School . "e% . 2 Ma# 2014 .
