We first see Paul going back to school a reality that he doesn't want to be part of. Paul comes into the school "suave and smiling". But his clothes tell a different story.

"His clothes were trifle outgrown and the tan velvet on the collar of his open overcoat was frayed and worn"(406).

The fact that Paul lies a lot is a way for him to escape a reality that he does not want to be a part of. Paul's involvement at Carnegie Hall is where he plays out his fantasizing. His shining hour is when he changes into his usher's uniform. The story tells us that Paul was "always excited while he dressed" and telling the other boys "he was crazy . . . being a model usher . . . all the people in his section thought if him as a charming boy"(409). But at school his teachers got mad at him. If for just a moment he stopped and thought about how school could help him with his future and the hopes he has for it. All he thought about was himself and the present.

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The flowers were frozen in time just as his hopes were. He even "doubted the reality of his past. Had he even known a place called Cordelia Street"(418)? He enjoyed every moment as if there was no tomorrow and "he could not remember a time when he had felt so at peace with himself"(418). He was now living the high life which he was planning for so long. The city was like his experience at the symphony which he loved so much.

Paul must have been mad, frustrated, and unclear about what to do. But he did know his dream if only short lived. To achieve this he had not only lied again but he stole money to travel to New York City. It was there that Paul could live out his fairy tale dream.

Face it Paul was a loser. He lied and stole to get what he wanted. Therefore, when the money and time ran out, Paul's life force died as well. Just like the "carnation on his coat drooping with the cold . . . red glory all over"(420).

"The first sight of the instruments seem to free some hilarious and potent spirit within him, something that struggled there the Genius in the bottle found by the Arab fisherman. He felt a sudden zest of life; the lights danced before his eyes the concert hall blazed into imaginable splendor"(409).

"It was at the theater and Carnegie Hall that Paul really lived; the rest was but a sleep and forgetting. This was Paul's fairy tale,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cordelia Street418, Carnegie Hall, Hall Paul, City Paul, Willa Cather's, carnegie hall, lied stole money, school teachers, stole money, fairy tale, father paul, lied stole,
Approximate Word count = 1039
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)