A Very Famous Case Study On Paul Done By Willa Cather Essay

According to the theoretical approaches of Heinz Kohut and Otto Kernberg, normal personality will develop healthy and stable self-regard. However, when high self-esteem is taken too far, one can develop an over-inflated sense of self-image. This need for attention and an overstated sense of self-admiration is best described as narcissism. In severe cases, narcissism can develop into a narcissistic personality disorder. According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV, one who suffers from a narcissistic personality disorder is at risk for violence.

Although someone diagnosed with NPD may seem to have this overconfidence, those individuals have low self-esteems and negative criticism are not their cup of tea. What society tends to call those with NPD are cocky, arrogant, conceited, or “big-headed.” NPD individuals look down on others and try to belittle others. Individuals with NPD tend to take over in the presence of conversations, they have a sense of entitlement, and if those with NPD does not get their way or special treatment, they will become angry. Further researched proved that narcissism have a

From the time of the Industrial Revolution to now, people have been on the hunt for wealth. Those that are poor wish for riches, those that are rich only want more. Willa Cather wrote “Paul’s Case” back in 1905 with this same idea in mind. The question has been asked since even before then, does money bring happiness? To those that have little would think that getting money will solve all their problems but those with much can attest to having other types of problems money cannot fix. In “Paul’s Case”, Willa Cather demonstrates that having monetary wealth does not always lead to a “better” life.

When Paul, the main character, decides to abandon his childhood home to travel to his ideal city of New York, he eventually succumbs to the bitter reality of his own struggle with depression. “It was the old depression exaggerated; all the world had become Cordelia Street” (Cather 21). In Paul’s Case, by Willa Cather, the author writes of the depression-ridden Paul who attempted to convince himself that his appreciation and admiration of his dreams were nothing less than ideal, but they ultimately morphed into obsessions that failed. Despite Paul’s limited glimpses into his greatest hopes of living a life well beyond his current lifestyle, it was one he eventually realized he could never attain. Paul believed he could convince himself and the world, that Cordelia Street was where he started, but the lavish life of a New Yorker would be where he—not only deserved to be—but where he was meant to be. Despite his efforts, he ultimately fell. The aspects that made Paul resent Cordelia Street were aspects he discovered everywhere else—including New York City.

Every human has lied at least once in his or her life. For some though the lying never stops. Entangled in such a web of their own deceit, these people no longer possess the ability to distinguish between the truth and fiction. In “Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather, Paul is a teenage boy whose whole life is a lie. Throughout the story is a scattered web of lies created by Paul. He begins to feel more natural lying than being honest with others and himself. Paul feels so compelled to lie because of his insecurity and his dream of fulfilling his fantasy.

Setting refers to the location of a story in terms of place, time, physical and social environment and functions to highlight the qualities of the protagonist. Willa Cather’s short story, “Paul’s Case” takes place during the winter of 1905 in Pittsburgh and New York City. The diverse settings of Paul’s school, Carnegie Hall, Paul’s house on Cordelia Street and the Waldorf Hotel greatly affect the behaviour of the main character. The protagonist is conditioned by his physical and social environments in Willa Cather’s short story, ”Paul's Case.”

Just as children go through their egocentric phase, those that have NPD according the article “Narcissism and Well-Being: A Longitudinal Perspective” by Zuckerman & O 'Loughlin, (2009) states how they become “locked into that stage and never grows out of it”. When a child is allowed to feel overly important, that child will more than likely maintain their infantile mentality of “power [and] control”, thus “hindering Narcissistic characteristics. These children learn to scan and seek out those who can fulfill their narcissistic supply” that demands attention, recognition, and fulfillment.

Societies are often placing strict rules and expectations for individuals to conform to, and it is up to the individual to follow these rules or not. Willa Cather displays the dark and true nature of the motivations that can direct an individual’s course of action through the arrogant and aloof high school student Paul, in “Paul’s Case”, and where Paul finds the motivation to escape his claustrophobic home in Cordelia Street. Paul initially feels imprisoned and unhappy with his life in Pittsburgh, so he seeks to escape; however, Paul is met with the realization that he can no longer run away from his problems, consequently resulting in his suicide.

In Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament”, a short story set in Pittsburgh and New York, Cather introduces us to the young Paul. Self-centered, delusional, and some may even argue, narcissistic, Paul is fascinated and encapsulated by the fine arts around him. Whether it be in the theater where he ushers, the art gallery at Carnegie Hall, or the hotel he runs away to in New York, Paul is always finding a way to escape what he considers a hopeless and mundane reality back home, through the arts. What’s interesting to note however is the way that Paul relates to the arts, which seems almost dysfunctional. As mentioned previously, Paul uses the arts as a way to escape from his reality, but it never satisfies him in the long term. The arts become like a drug for him, giving him short lived highs and allowing Paul to lose himself in the moment, even giving him periods of depression and withdrawal in between and ultimately leading him to suicide. It is interesting to ponder why Paul’s relationship with the arts is this way, and through a close read and analysis of the text, one can infer that Paul never plays an active role (except for himself) in the arts. He never analyzes or interprets, he never finds himself intrigued or provoked. He just allows himself to get lost in the splendor of it all, sequentially enabling a depressed and destructive life as opposed to a potentially satisfying and long-lasting one.

Imagine being entrapped in a life that you did not feel you belonged in. That is

In my opinion, Paul’s case is written more like a case study of a person who exhibits traits of a narcissistic personality disorder, than a short story. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.” They go on to say, that a narcissistic personality disorder usually cases problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school, or financial affairs. A person suffering from this disorder, will be generally unhappy and disappointed when they are not given special favors or the admiration they believe they deserve.

Everyone knows someone who seems to be completely wrapped up in themselves. They seem to only care about themselves, and they seem to think that they are better than every one. Some of these people probably have narcissistic personality disorder. This personality disorder is defined as, “...a broad pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy” (Comer, 2010, p. 531). People with narcissistic personality disorder are convinced of their own greatness; whether it be their success, artistic skill, or beauty. They also require the constant attention and admiration of the people around them. But, this is not all that is involved in this disorder.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), also known as Narcissism and often mistakenly shortened to Narcism, is a mental disorder in which a person has an inflated sense of self-importance and egoism (MayoClinic). The word Narcissism comes from a mythical Greek being named Narcissus (Etym). Narcissus had stunning features, and when he saw his beauty reflected in a body of water, he fell in love with his own reflection. He became so obsessed that he did not leave for food or water and soon died. When his body vanished, a flower took his place which, from that moment on, would carry his name (Echo). In 1898, a psychologist by name of Havelock Ellis made the first known comparison between Narcissus and a patient and Paul Nacke, a German psychiatrist,

Narcissism ranges from healthy and normal to pathological and severely malevolent, it is denoted as a far- reaching disorder of the self- esteem. There are several identifying characteristics that individuals with this disorder posses. They are mostly, but not all: being self- centered, constantly seeking admiration and attention, being boastful, and believe that they are overall entitled to special treatment (Ronningstam, 2009).

The root word “narcissism” came from the Greek methology demigod, Narcissus - the son of the nymph of Liriope and the river god, Cephissus. A blind seer, Tiresias, told Narcissus’ mother that Narcissus would prolong his life as long as he would not see his own reflection. However, while Narcissus was in the woods hunting with his bow and arrow, he happened to pass by a body of water where he saw a handsome young man in the water and was infatuated by his beauty. He approached him and attempted to kiss the man. However, as he leaned into the man in the water, he fell and drowned since he did not know how to swim. The man in the water was his own reflection and he had fallen in love with himself without realizing it. Narcissus became a flower in representation of his alluring beauty. (Britannica). The same concept goes with the meaning of narcissism which is excessive self-love, extreme fascination with oneself, and vanity. (Dictionary). It is also distinguished by an addiction to fantasy and an ornate self-image caused by the sudden composure breakdown and peculiar activities. The confidence is only jeopardized by the exploitation of narcissists and narcissists taking others for granted. (Rhodewalt). Similarly, narcissism is a disorder where in it involves the contemplation of oneself and how it is apprehended by others who seeks fulfilment, gratification and validation from the admiration of other people in their intellectual and physical attributes that comes along with