10/12/14

21:43

            Both of the main characters want to run away from reality. In the story “Paul’s Case” Paul wants to run away from the life he is living. In “The Chrysanthemums” Elisa wants to start a new life style.

            Paul runs away from his home in Pittsburgh to go to New York, he is successful in this case, but it is short lived because he commits suicide once he learns that his father is coming to get him. He wanted to get away from all the people in Pittsburgh so he could experience a more wealthy way of living, he stole one thousand dollars so he could fund this trip. Elisa doesn't really run away physically but more mentally. She tries asking the tinker what life would be like for a women doing his job. She is told that it wouldn't be as for filling as she would think. This is her way of running away just in her head. The author of “Paul’s Case” wants Paul’s running away to show that he is running away from his problems to try the lifestyle that he always wanted. This is similar to “The Chrysanthemums” because Elisa want to see what another lifestyle would be like for her.