Pleading False Innocence: A study in Temperment
Pleading False Innocence: A Study In Temperament
Paul, the major character in Willa Cather's short story, goes through his world awkwardly and never really feels comfortable in his own skin and feels that he can't really fit in anywhere. He is completely in love with art, theater, and music in which his current job as an usher at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh allows him to satisfy his obsession with art. Paul has the thought in his head that art is a kind of fantasy land and uses the art as a kind of drug to escape his bleak existence. He has no desire to become part of the art world, but instead he just watches other people. Paul feels a kind of defiance for his teachers and loved ones. He tends to find them to be narrow minded. However, besides art, Paul loves money. He (like everyone else) wishes to one day be rich and famous and honestly believes that it's apart of his destiny. Paul is always lying to usually get himself out of a situation that he doesn't want to be in and does it to sometimes impress his classmates and teachers.
In Paul’s true reality he has a lack of interest in school. His disinterest in school stems from the alienation and isolation he has in life. This disinterest in school reflects Paul’s alienation because of the unusual attention he receives there that he doesn’t get at home. In class one day he was at the chalkboard and “his English teacher had stepped to his side and attempted to guide his hand” (Cather). Paul, at the moment of being touched, stepped backwards suddenly and put his hands behind his back. In other classes he looks out the window during lectures and pays little attention to his teacher’s lessons. In one class he habitually sat with his hand shading his eyes; in another he always looked out of the window during the recitation; in another he made a running commentary on the lecture, with humorous intention. Paul, growing up without a mother figure in his life, is unaccustomed to any affection or care from his
Paul, the major character in Willa Cather's short story, goes through his world awkwardly and never really feels comfortable in his own skin and feels that he can't really fit in anywhere. He is completely in love with art, theater, and music in which his current job as an usher at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh allows him to satisfy his obsession with art. Paul has the thought in his head that art is a kind of fantasy land and uses the art as a kind of drug to escape his bleak existence. He has no desire to become part of the art world, but instead he just watches other people. Paul feels a kind of defiance for his teachers and loved ones. He tends to find them to be narrow minded. However, besides art, Paul loves money. He (like everyone else) wishes to one day be rich and famous and honestly believes that it's apart of his destiny. Paul is always lying to usually get himself out of a situation that he doesn't want to be in and does it to sometimes impress his classmates and teachers.
In Paul’s true reality he has a lack of interest in school. His disinterest in school stems from the alienation and isolation he has in life. This disinterest in school reflects Paul’s alienation because of the unusual attention he receives there that he doesn’t get at home. In class one day he was at the chalkboard and “his English teacher had stepped to his side and attempted to guide his hand” (Cather). Paul, at the moment of being touched, stepped backwards suddenly and put his hands behind his back. In other classes he looks out the window during lectures and pays little attention to his teacher’s lessons. In one class he habitually sat with his hand shading his eyes; in another he always looked out of the window during the recitation; in another he made a running commentary on the lecture, with humorous intention. Paul, growing up without a mother figure in his life, is unaccustomed to any affection or care from his