In the short stories “The Case of Paul” by Willa Carter and “Araby” by James Joyce, the two protagonists are infatuated with the idea of ​​escaping reality. conventional routines in their daily lives. Their main goal is to achieve a more romantic, extravagant and glamorous life. For Paul, his dream of a glamorous life lies in distant New York. For the anonymous protagonist of “Araby”, he hopes to find his loved one in Arabia with the neighbor he barely knows. They believe that by achieving this escape, they will find the pleasure and satisfaction they were hoping for. The two protagonists dream of finding romance in a world hostile to romance by escaping the reality in which they live. Paul in “The Case of Paul” wanted to get away from reality and the hostile environment he faced. He was tired of Pittsburgh and the middle class Cordelia Street where he lived. Even though her mother died, her home life was as normal as possible. This is something Paul hated, normality. At school, he would tell fake stories to other students to try to make his life more interesting than theirs. This ultimately didn't cause any of the other students like him, even the teachers, to pick on him. Paul was suspended from school, but he didn't mind. He became interested in music and art, even though he knew his father would not approve. Paul's father wanted him to be a businessman, to have a normal family and an ordinary life. But having a normal, ordinary life was not what Paul had in mind for his future. He dreamed of much more, which made him believe he would never gain his father's approval. When Paul's boss asked him to deposit money for him, Paul took advantage of the opportunity. Instead of depositing all the money, Paul only deposited the check...... middle of paper...... then he returned home, to his hostile environment, without ever escaping the reality. Paul refused to give up on his dream and refused to come back to reality. Instead of giving up his dream of a glamorous and extravagant life, Paul gave up his average life and committed suicide. Paul from "Paul's Case" and the unnamed boy from "Araby" were looking for a permanent escape from the reality they had. they each aspired to a life filled with glamour, romance and luxury. More importantly, they longed for a life that was far from ordinary. Both protagonists failed to achieve this lifestyle. How they handled their failure is the main thing that separates them. The main concept that connects these two incredible short stories is that neither of them were able to achieve their dream. They wanted permanent escape, which none of them were capable of accomplishing..