CATHEDRAL by Raymond Carver Raymond Carver‚ the author of Cathedral was born in Oregon in 1938. He came from a poor family. At the age of 40 he was one of the most promising writers of his generation and was also near ruin in everyway from alcoholism. He quit drinking but lung cancer took over- taking his life at the age of 50. He wrote 3 collections of stories: “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”‚“ Cathedral” and “Elephant”‚ poems and essays. He was considered a minimalist until Cathedral
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Pleasantly Obese Raymond Carver’s short story “Fat” brings the reader through a life changing moment for a waitress. The unnamed woman‚ who describes her encounter with an obese man to her friend Rita‚ is completely engaged in everything about the fat man while she waits him; his size‚ his appetite‚ and especially his hospitality towards her. Through the waitress’ thoughts‚ Carver repeatedly brings up the concept of obesity in his story. He allows her mind to tell the reader which parts are important
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I am deeply ambivalent about Raymond Carver. My beef with this particular dead guy has less to do with his fine stories than with his 1980s-era apotheosis into an academic demigod‚ his canonization as St. Ray of the MFA programs‚ the way his works and style became paradigms to be slavishly imitated by a generation (maybe two generations now) of American writing students‚ a process of sowing that came to barren fruition in the bland‚ flat‚ snowy fields of zero-degree Minimalist prose. All this has
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What do the writers Chekhov and Carver say about the struggles of real life in the society around them? Discuss‚ using quotes and references to characters and scenes within the chosen short stories. The short stories‚ ‘The Bet’ and ‘Cathedral’ by Anton Chekhov and Raymond Carver respectively‚ both investigate the struggles of real life in society around them. Chekhov and Carver present the struggles created by greed and jealousy‚ how easily one takes things for granted and the affect of social
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Cathedral The short story "Cathedral"‚ written by Raymond Carver‚ was first published in 1983. This short story deals with one main problem: Prejudices. The short story is about a man‚ the narrator‚ which wife is going to meet her old friends‚ Robert‚ whom is blind. At first the main character aren’t looking forward meeting the blind man. His sigh of being a handicapped is narrow-minded: “In the movies‚ the blind move slowly and never laughed” (ll. 8-9). Prejudices are something that has always
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“Cathedral” is a very complex short story. Although the actual story only takes up about 5 pages‚ that’s all Raymond Carver needed to compel an invigorating enlightenment. The narrator of this story is unnamed yet we get to see him grow rapidly in this short story. After meeting Robert‚ who at one time was his wife’s boss‚ he begins to see the world differently‚ and is able to change his views and realize the world isn’t as black and white as he would like it to be. When we meet the narrator he is
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In the short story “Popular Mechanics”‚ Raymond Carver uses the characters’ actions to represent how damaged people can become during fights. Detailed descriptions of the characters’ actions deepen the readers’ understanding of the characters’ failing relationship. Furthermore‚ the baby’s crying‚ as the parents struggle over it illustrates a child’s suffering during a fight. The physical confrontation suggests a tearing of the relationship. When the characters are fighting‚ the reader can almost
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Cathedral by Raymond Carver we read‚ the wife said‚ “a blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” (Raymond Carver‚ the Cathedral) This statement above is the perfect embodiment of a completely dysfunctional relationship. This statement clearly illustrates a dying relationship between the two. In the Cathedral Carver majestically brought the story to life by portraying two working class individuals struggling with every day’s challenges. In the cathedral‚ the story portrays the
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Realism and Minimalism comparing “Cathedral” and Summer Interior Both Raymond Carver and Edward Hopper show qualities of realism and minimalism in the short story “Cathedral” by Carver and in the painting Summer Interior‚ 1909 by Hopper. The moods and characters relate to both the short story and the painting. Dirty-realism was shown in the short story by Carver he shows disappointment and truths that the character’s face. Realism is different in art Hopper showed accurate‚ detailed‚ unembellished
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Abstract Raymond Carver‚ being a famous American short story writer in the 20th century‚ was often labeled as a minimalist writer. However‚ his “Cathedral” was nothing like his previous stories. With no extraneous words‚ Carver expressed his unique worldview and vision in “Cathedral”. This essay will examine the text from four different perspectives: sight and insight‚ names and downplay of individuality‚ dialogues between characters‚ and the growth of narrator‚ which are all related to
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