Abstract
Philip S. Holzman (Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology, 1970) cites some characteristics of the common mental disease of schizophrenia as follows: 1. separation of the intellect from the emotions 2. inappropriate emotional reactions 3. distortions in normal logical thought processes 4. withdrawal from social relationships 5. delusions and hallucinations With this suggestion in mind we may discover the schizoid disorder in Paul in Cather's `Paul's Case' as exemplified by the oddness, strange sensitiveness, detached quality, lifelong sense of dread which Paul describes as well as his disgust at human touch, and his inability to express directly his angry feelings, which are, in this paper, elucidated and illustrated by numerous passages from the story. With a psychoanalytical study-in-depth of Paul as its main aim, this paper goes along in its comprehensive analysis of the short story in the following sections: 1. Cather's dichotomy in her view of the city of Pittsburgh 2. Paul: the Scapegoat 3. Fictional structure in `Paul's Case'4. Schizoid disorder in Paul 5. Symbolic use of flowers and colours in the story 6. Cather's point of view As attempted in this paper, a deeper comprehension of the story will, 55this writer believes, be arrived at through a mythological approach (as in Paul; the Scapegoat) in addition to a psychoanalytical one.
