Imagery used in "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather

Imagery in "Paul's Case" <Tab/>The imagery used in a composition has a profound effect on perspective and interpretation. Just as one may see a rotten apple differently if it were described in flowery terms, the use of imagery can turn one's perspective in a different direction. In Cather's "Paul's Case," Paul's choice of suicide is thus justified through the juxtaposition of his two lives, that of the stage and of …

…York, he finds that no life at all was better than the life that he was being forced to live. <Tab/>Paul's suicide can be rationalized through the life that he had and the life that he wanted to have. Paul was never truly alive while at home, he was just there. The use of the imagery that described these two lives thus justifies his choice, that of life and death.