A short story as defined by Edgar Allan Poe, should not contain a word that will not contribute to bringing out the theme of the story. In Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case”, every detail serves an important role in supporting the “pre-established design” (as Poe calls it) of the story. Every aspect of “Paul’s Case” such as symbolism and setting, relate to its rather perplexing theme. The details of the story, come together …showed first 75 words of 744 total…

…showed last 75 words of 744 total…completely adheres to Poe’s definition of a short story. This is so because every sentence and detail written in the story strengthens the theme. The use of literary elements such as symbolism and setting, help bring out and strongly support the theme of the story which is the message of life that the author attempts to express. Willa Cather has shown that artificiality, like a dreams, is not real and does not last forever.