Vice in Pauls Case and Sonny Blues

The title character in Cather’s short story voyages from his drab life and home in Pittsburgh to the marvelous New York City, where he fully expresses his shopaholism. Under his father’s roof on Cordelia Street, Paul is dramatically oppressed; he dreads coming home at night for fear of his father. Paul, in one instance, rather than face his father’s accusations, stealthily entered the cold, dank basement, where he slept until morning (225). In New York, Paul is able to stay out however late he desires, doing whatever since he is completely free of h

is father, yet succumbing fully to an otherwise stifled vice.

It is in Paul’s nature to be attuned to the fine arts, but his upbringing deadens his true needs to his family, since they do not care to see such socially unacceptable behavior. Thus, he escapes to New York into the embrace of music, where, even at dinner, the orchestra plays (232). Paul, in his shopaholic state, ventures out to obtain definition through his wardrobe, going along with the popular aphorism that “clothes do make the man”(230). Again, home does not allow him to wear what he wishes because of both the monetary issue and the fact that his preferred attire is completely inappropriate for the school environment (222). His search for self - definition leads Paul away from his family and straight into the indulgence of his “nasty habit” and eventually to his death, much like Sonny’s musical endeavor pulls him towards the use of drugs.

For both Sonny and Paul, vices proved to be useful in their lives; one to create a livelihood, the other to define a life. They do not, however, accomplish

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