Paul’s life according to himself could be summed up as “dreadful.” Nothing is to his liking whatsoever. The colors of his bedroom are wrong, the odors are wrong, everything in life is wrong. Paul specifically takes a liking to the fine arts and high society. He works at a concert hall where people of higher classes congregate. He fancies and identifies with this particular crowd. Cather previously noted how disliked Paul is in the community and among his colleagues. He is an …show more content…
Humans in turn are left with nothing, no hope, no happiness, and no purpose. Paul a perfect example of this, he embarks on a futile and fleeting journey into wealth, which once tasted and gone leaves him with nowhere to turn. He has no hope, happiness or purpose. He ultimately resorts to suicide without regretting his materialistic journeys. Cather’s use of characterization, symbolism, diction and tone allows the readers to effectively come to the conclusion happiness comes through the pursuit of wealth, and eventually the end of man’s