Isolationism is when one focuses on their own desires and interests and separates oneself from the rest of society's interests. In the short story Paul’s Case by Willa Canter, the main character Paul distances himself from society by disregarding the rules and conventions of society. When the administration of his school confronts him about his various misdemeanors, he flippantly retorts against them despite secretly feeling insecure. In addition, he also isolates himself by creating his own reality through art that he does not share with other people. Paul’s isolationist attitude rather than his circumstances lead to his depression and ultimately his demise. Paul’s isolationism is apparent from the beginning of the story. In his meeting with the principal of his school, he tries to express himself in a powerful way. He puts on a red carnation on his buttonhole which is the major symbol that Paul carries around with him. The red carnation expresses the fact that he feels guiltless about his misdemeanors which is surprising to the administration (Renje Charles …show more content…
Paul “adopts the pose of an aesthete to express his alienation from the middle-class neighborhood where he lives with his father and sisters” [Abby] Through art, Paul creates his own reality. “He needed only the spark, the indescribable thrill that made his imagination master of his senses, and he could make plots and pictures enough of his own.” (Paul’s Case). The reality that Paul creates in his mind through the art of Carnegie Hall is much more comforting to him than the middle-class society which he abhors. The quote “Perhaps it was because, in Paul's world, the natural nearly always wore the guise of ugliness, that a certain element of artificiality seemed to him necessary in beauty.” (Paul’s Case) suggests that Paul thinks the world he is around is ugly while the world of art is