It is not hard to see why Plato, Leo Tolstoy and the English Puritans would worry about the bad influences of literature. Literature can serve as an effective non-violent way of addressing issues in a society. These issues, however, may be troubling to the way things are in the society. Consequently, some people may feel these issues are best left untouched and condemn the power of literature to bring them to the surface.
Nonetheless, the issues raised by literature should not be ignored. The very fact that society's leaders are concerned about the effect of literature goes to prove that the issues raised by literature are important to a large number of people. Otherwise, what would there be to fear from literature? The fact that a large number of people find the issues raised in literature compelling should mean that the literature in which these issues are raised should not be ignored. Furthermore, in the interest of human knowledge and happiness, these issues should be explored.
Literature allows both the author and the readers the chance to explore issues about which they may be concerned. It also reveals issues about which we may not have thought very much, but which affect our lives by opening our minds. Also, it can introduce us to people and cultures that we may never be able to learn about directly. In "Paul's Case," Willa Cather addresses the very serious issue of suicide. While people such as Plato and the Puritans might believe it is best not to even talk about such a disturbing and "sinful" aspect of life, it is probably true that most people at some time or other have considered, even if not very seriously, the possibility of taking their own life.
At the end of "Paul's Case," just as he jumps in front of the train, Paul realizes: "As he fell, the folly of his haste occurred to him with merciless clearness, the vastness of what he had left undone." Cather's story, therefore, is not a celebration ...