Willa Cather

Even though I enjoy reading of different lifestyles, I tend to get the most out of stories that deal with normal everyday people, their lives, and their plights. Willa Cather is known to be this kind of author.

In both stories, A Wagner Matinee and Paul’s Case, the story line was interesting; portrayals of people living lives that were not presenting them with the most satisfaction. The difference in the two is how each handled their desires.
Aunt Georgiana had made a decision earlier in life to marry which involved giving up her love for music. She had chosen this path and managed by avoiding situations which tempted her to miss her love and long for it. As long as she put it out of her mind, she was able to adjust. Cather’s physical description of her upon arrival in town painted a picture of what her daily might be, very tiresome and unfulfilling. I wonder if the sickness she had felt was simply from the train ride or from the dread of having to face the city and the memories of the life she used to live. It was intriguing to see her come to life again at the concert, but one would wonder how she would handle these feelings when the time came to return home and possibly never be able to experience such fulfillment again. I though it interesting that she questioned Clark as to whether he had been experiencing this type of performance since he had left them. It seems she had been able to handle her life at home as long as she didn’t think about what she was missing and others were enjoying.

Paul was a different kind of character. He was intent on living the type of life he thought he deserved. His longings led him to a lifestyle of deceit and abomination. His desires had become like a drug for him; intoxicating him and then leaving him depressed as he had to return to “his life”. His bodily appearance even presented itself as someone who might be under the influence: twitching, raising his eyebrows, and nervous trembling as he fingered the buttons on his overcoat with occasional jerking. I think his physical description again illustrated his lifestyle; after falling asleep in class; his teacher described his face as wrinkled like an old man’s about the eyes and his coloring as a white, blue-veined face. He seemed to be physically and emotionally drained from trying to live the two lives intermingled. I was enthralled as I read this story but did wonder how it was met by critics and the public of the time. Even though people had types of mental illnesses and personality disorders then, not much was known about them. But today, Paul would seem as just another disturbed youth trying to find his niche in life. I was surprised to the extent Cather took his infatuation to allow him to commit suicide rather than return to his life.

Paul was a sad character for me. Being an employee of the school system, it frightens me to think of children who may be dealing with issues such as Paul’s. I hope I would be able to recognize the signs of such distress and be able to offer some encouragement and assistance. We tend to look at some students in the way the administration did in Paul’s case as just behavior problems when there could be an array of issues a child may be dealing with, sometimes physically and emotionally, and out of their control.