Rhonda Eng 232 "A Wagner Matinee" and "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather

Willa Carter
She was really weird when she was a child. She was a cross dresser and signed her name as William Cather.

A Wagner Matinee
This story reminds me of “Little House on the Prairie”. In the beginning the uncle sends a letter in the mail to inform the narrator that his aunt is coming to visit. He (narrator) receives this letter the day before she is to arrive. She travels by a wagon in the prairie and when she arrives she is sick from the long trip. Due to the dust from the road, she is covered in dirt. She arrives and he is so excited about seeing his aunt. He talks about how she was there for him when he was a child. How she would listen to him read, taught him to play the organ, and manages to cook three meals a day. He is a grown man now and has his own place that he rents. Even though he is a grown man he is still suffering from the lack of parent involvement. I really don’t know what happened to his mom but he is longing for his mom’s guidance. I can see this through the constant reference to how well his aunt is to him. Then we have the reaction that his aunt and the narrator have toward the opera. They are overwhelmed with tears during the opera and I wonder if this isn’t a reflection of something that happened in the family. This could be the first sign that his parents are dead. Again I am just speculating it really never tells you about the narrator’s family.

Paul’s Case
In the beginning of the story we have a child that is constantly getting into trouble. The story starts out with a boy named Paul who is to appear before the faculty based on his misdemeanors. His dad then sends him to a Catholic school in hopes that he will behave himself. Later on Paul ends up stealing money from Carson’s and Denny which he was suppose to deposit. The reason that Paul continues to act out is because he is striving for his dad’s attention. We find this through the reference that his dad will come and find him. He knew his dad had the money and would pay his dept. Most of all he wanted his dad to come and look for him. The sad part is when his dad does pay the men that he stole the money from but he never comes to get his son.