Blissful ignorance to painful recognition; it is through this transition that Aristotle states is essential for tragic form. Paul’s Case by Willa Cather stands as no exception. The story focuses upon Paul; an art obsessive, idealistic and deceitful young man who has a distorted sense of reality. He is truly repulsed by his current life on Cordelia Street and wants nothing to do with his family teachers or pears. Paul is blinded by misconception of money and the romance of his idealized art-driven world; after getting a taste of New York the realization that he cannot move forward in this life sets upon him; tragically, Paul kills himself.

            From the beginning of the short story great incite toward Paul’s nature is given, “he wore an opal pin in his neatly knotted black four-in-hand, and a red carnation in his buttonhole.” Paul was a dandy; he was exceedingly conscious of how he looked and held himself. Paul’s appearance was a reflection of the artistic life he desperately sought. Paul was deeply disgusted by his home life and as soon as he turned on to Cordelia Street he described it as “waters close[ing] above his head” Paul seemed to drown in the reality of life. Being brought back into reality was too painful for Paul. The theater was how Paul escaped it all, “It was at the theater and at Carnegie Hall that Paul really lived”, “This was Paul’s fairy tale, and it had for him all the allurement of a secret love.” Paul immerses himself within his own illusions of romance in order to suffer through the mediocrity of his life. However, Paul’s illusions make him ignorant to the reality of theater life. Paul brags about his wonderful engagements with the stock company but little to his knowledge their life is not as splendid as seemed. “They were hardworking women, most of them supporting indigent husbands or brothers, and they laughed rather bitterly at having stirred the boy to such fervid and florid inventions”. Paul is caught up in his “fairy tale” and can’t seem to break free from it.

            Paul steals his father’s money and runs away to New York to live the life he always wanted to. “The flowers, the white linen, the many-colored wineglasses, the gay toilettes of the women, the low popping of corks, the undulating repetitions of the Blue Danube from the orchestra, all flooded Paul’s dream with bewildering radiance”. Paul understood that money is necessary for the upkeep of his lifestyle, but what Paul doesn’t understand is the correlation between work and money. This is displayed when Paul learns about the young boys who had rose to wealth from nothing “he was interested in the triumphs of these cash boys who had become famous, though he had no mind for the cash-boy stage”. Paul never engaged in anything, he just floated along in life, even when dipped into his new life, he had no desire to truly be a part of it; he simply watched from his “turret” window. “he knew now, more than ever, that money was everything, the wall that stood between all he loathed and all he wanted” Paul had no willingness to become what he was supposed to be and had no desire to work towards what he wanted to be. Out of money and with his father coming to get him, Paul realized he could not progress in this life. Despite this Paul still felt he had “made the best of it” and “lived the life he was meant to live”. In spite of this, Paul kills himself.