The narrator of Cathedral is many things; jealous‚ sarcastic‚ insensitive‚ inconsiderate‚ and overall just a bad person‚ he is also‚ surprisingly‚ a sympathetic character. While he exuberates many flaws and emotions that we do not readily show ourselves‚ this does not strike the fact that we can sympathise and relate to the narrator. In fact‚ it is the fact that he shows all of these flaws that make him a sympathetic character. The reason being is that he shows the emotions and flaws that humans
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In Raymond Carver’s Cathedral‚ perspective is the main tool used to characterize the speaker and those around him. The speaker’s misconceptions regarding the other main characters drives the story forward‚ acting as a catalyst for the story’s plot. Because the speaker is describing what he sees‚ and only reveals his own thoughts‚ the point of view is first person limited. Carver’s use of the first person limited point of view greatly contributes to the climax of the story‚ and is imperative in understanding
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The story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver is about one man’s understanding and acceptance of a blind man. The narrator represents the story’s dominant theme of overcoming prejudice of the blind through personal experience as well as mutual respect. The narrator‚ who remains nameless‚ holds deeply unfounded beliefs and stereotypes of what a blind person should be‚ yet over a relatively short period of time he develops a bond with the blind man‚ whom at first he privately mocked. The narrator’s preconceived
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The third reason why the main characters are lonely is because the narrator is escapist. The narrator drinks too much‚ jealous of his wife‚ unable to adequately communicate with his wife‚ and unconnected to other human beings. In addition not only unconnected to others‚ but he also seems to resent his wife’s connections to other people as well. When “I” spoke of the impending visit by my wife’s friend: the blind man ‚ he states that‚ “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew.
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In Cathedral‚ by Raymond Carver‚ a blind man is visiting his friend that took care of him ten years ago. Although never given a name in this story‚ the narrator’s (Bub’s) wife is an important character. It is her friendship with Robert that "makes" the story. For her‚ it started out just as a job‚ and grew into much more. She read to Robert and helped him with all the household chores. She left working for him because her husband went to officer training school so they had to move. The blind man
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The Most Effective Literary Element in “Cathedral” and Reasons for its Effectiveness Raymond Carver uses the literary elements of characterization and point of view to make Cathedral an effective story. While Cathedral appears to just be a story about a visit between two old friends and the narrator‚ I see it as a journey between two men which shows the audience that it is possible to break personal barriers and stereotypes. Cathedral’s main characters are the narrator‚ his wife‚ and Robert the
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Mike Wilcox Eng. 113 12-1250 Mr. Canipe 28 November 2007 Blindness is considered a disability. The person with a disability in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is Bub. A person can be handicapped mentally. Bub is self-centered‚ and lives inside his own world. He is “blind” to the world around him and does not wish to open his mind to anything outside of his ignorant‚ pathetic‚ mundane life. Robert opens Bub’s mind‚ enabling Bub to see Robert as a person first‚ and not a blind man. Robert is
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Disjunction vs. Communion in Raymond Carver ’s Short Stories Raymond Carver‚ poet‚ essayist‚ and short story writer‚ was very different from some other writers in that he clipped his writing until only the essential remained. " Carver not only acknowledged the effect that fiction could have on readers‚ he proclaimed that it should affect readers."( Bonetti 58) Thus‚ when Carver writes about intimate relationships‚ the reader perceives the stories as more than entertainment or skillful
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In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver there are three unique characters all having their own side of the story the narrator’s name unknown‚ the narrator’s wife also unknown‚ and a blind man named Robert. Robert decides to take a small visit to the narrator’s wife‚ and husbands home to catch up. The narrator is not blind; he can see everything now he thinks he is more superior than Robert. The narrator is jealous because Robert truly listens to the wife so therefore the have a deeper connection‚ more so
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“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver This minimalistic story is written by the famous author‚ Raymond Carver. Carver was born in 1938 in the small town of Clatskanie‚ Oregon‚ to an alcoholic father who worked at a sawmill and his mother who worked as a waitress. After graduating from high school‚ Carver and his family moved to California‚ where he did not continue his education until 1958‚ where he started taking writing classes with the writer John Gardner‚ who introduced him to the fascinating world
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