Paul's Case

Paul's Case Discussion Questions

He feels at Carnegie Hall like he belongs there, he feels as if it is a great escape for him. Instead of being stuck in a classroom where he doesn't want to learn anything because he feels like he doesn't need it, he feels safe and alive at Carnegie Hall. When he is there, it makes him feel important and like people care about him, he isn't just another student, he feels as though he really is someone important there. As it says in the story, when he is there listening to a symphony or looking at a sculpture/painting, he tends to lose himself in whatever he is listening to or looking at. It also says in a passage that he feels alive when he is there and that he just feels connected to everything there unlike when he is in a classroom having to pretend to learn and to grasp everything that is happening at school.

After his interview, the teachers feel like there is something wrong with him. Something about his smile and the way he presents himself makes the teachers think that he is not normal and that something is just wrong with him, especially knowing that his mother died shortly after he was born. As for Paul, he couldn't care what happened at the interview because he knew that later that day he would be at Carnegie Hall working and doing what he loved most.