A fantasy can be as simple as skydiving or as complex as walking on the moon. It can be said that most people have a fantasy of some fashion. Furthermore, almost everyone aspires to live out their fantasy at some point. Both Paul, a teenager, in Willa Cather's “The Paul Case” (1905) and Dmitri Gurov, a middle-aged man, in Anton Chekhov's “The Lady with the Dog” (1899) have lives that are contrary to their desires, which pushes them to live out their fantasies. The places in which they live and the authoritative figures in their lives, however, unfortunately prevent them from definitively realizing their dreams. Both characters in these tales demonstrate that where a person comes from is where they will return, even if a fantasy world is possible for the time being. Both of these characters live in a world that they find unfavorable; however, they both want to live out their fantasies despite their positions. In "The Case of Paul", Paul misbehaves at school and expresses a strong dislike towards his home life. For example, on his way home from working as an usher at Carnegie Hall, he describes his home and quarters as “…his ugly bedroom; the cold bathroom with the dirty zinc tub, the broken mirror, the dripping taps…” (494). However, on the other hand, he is capable of “getting lost” while admiring works of art and music (491). The bedroom is typically seen as a sanctuary for a young teenager, a place where he or she can be whatever he or she wants, but in Paul's situation it is described as a miserable prison in which he or she feels uncomfortable. He has a desire to be part of the world where participation in the arts is conducive. Similar to Anton Chekov's character Paul, Dmitri Gurov longs to live out his love fantasies. Gurov becomes interested in this woman named Anna Sergeyevna, however, the only thing in common between them is that they both spend time in Yalta. Gurov lives in Moscow and Sergeyevna lives in a place called “S___” (514). Despite the fact that he and she live in separate cities, Gurov insists on having a relationship with Sergeevna. However, he knows that "...every story that at first glance seems like a light and fascinating adventure inevitably turns into a whole problem of extreme complexity, and in the end a painful situation is created”.” (513).