Chasing Pavements

Paul lives a life of conflict, feeling as though he has a life that is unsuited for him and he wants to live more extravagantly. Instead of pushing toward his goals by finishing school and earning his way to the top, Paul makes a very selfish decision. Recently after reading the story “Paul’s Case” I heard a song by Adele called “Chasing Pavements” which immediately reminded me of Paul’s Case. “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?...” sings Adele. It takes patience and perseverance to accomplish your dreams, you can either give up (as Paul does) or keep “chasing pavements” and continue to do everything you can to make your life the one you’ve dreamt of for so long. When we are first introduced to Paul at the beginning of the story, there is already something about him that seems suspicious and abnormal. Paul has been suspended from his high school for his behavior and he’s in a hearing to be allowed back. In this hearing, the author describes the red carnation that Paul wear’s in his buttonhole. This carnation has a lot of symbolism that helps us understand Paul. In 1895, Oscar Wilde went on trial for homosexuality. His trademark was a green carnation which became the unofficial code for “gay.” This carnation may or may not be telling us that Paul is gay, but it definitely tells us that Paul stands out, he is “different.” Red tends to be associated with “sexy”, “intense”, and “daring.” The author clearly describes the glass pitcher that Paul’s sisters make lemonade in in this tone.
When the weather was warm, and his father was in a particularly jovial frame of mind, the girls made lemonade, which was always brought out in a red glass pitcher, ornamented with forget-me-nots in blue enamel. This the girls thought very fine, and the neighbors always joked about the suspicious color of the pitcher.
Red is both “fine” and “suspicious,” that’s what “very fine” means in this context. There is also something else a little off about this red