Amanda Gazaway Professor Macklin Cowart English 1102 10 September 2014 “Cathedral”: The Importance of Transformation in the Characters In “Cathedral‚” Raymond Carver drastically creates changes within his characters that bring them closer together throughout each experience. The pertaining metamorphoses begin by being utilized as simple icebreakers but eventually commence an everlasting bond between the narrator and the blind man‚ Robert. Character development is important because it allows
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In the short story “Cathedral”‚ by Raymond Carver‚ the narrator’s wife has a blind friend who is coming to visit them at their house. The narrator (also known as the husband) is unhappy with this because the old man’s disability makes him feel very uncomfortable. However‚ the more the husband interacts with the blind man‚ the more he learns to overlook his blindness and accept him as a normal human being. Through characterization and symbolism‚ Carver proves that seeing people as individuals rather
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Who is the Real Blind Man? In the story Cathedral‚ by Raymond Carver‚ the narrator makes multiple statements as to how he feels about Robert‚ the blind man. The statements are made purely on what the narrator has seen in movies and what he has read. The narrator makes harsh judgments of the blind mind regarding his inability to see his surroundings and other people. However‚ the narrator fails to see things the same way that Robert does‚ more deeply. Throughout the story the narrator finds himself
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characters and said story which is often used to symbolize real world applications. The author Raymond Carver is very proficient in illustrating a world in a short story while infusing real world applications and issues into a story while not directly addressing said theme. In “Cathedral” Raymond Carver uses the narrator‚ the husband‚ to illustrate the aversion many people have toward the disabled community. Carver uses the narrator to exhibit common behaviors people in the real world have toward the disabled
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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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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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extreme. “Popular Mechanics‚” written by Raymond Carver‚ is a concise story in which a man and woman go through a separation. The process of their separation brings out their incessantly blatant resentment toward each other. The result of the couple’s tensions is selfish behavior. To develop the theme of selfishness‚ Raymond Carver portrayed the relationship between the man and woman as a competition between rivals‚ and displayed them as unsympathetic. Carver explicates the couple’s relationship as
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Alcohol Viewed Through the Eyes of Raymond Carver Some people feel that alcohol is a substance that can be used to escape reality and live in a world where there are no dilemmas or problems that must be solved. Whether the alcohol is abused or just used in moderation‚ many people are drawn to the several aspects it has to offer. One example of someone who follows these characteristics is the very famous and talented writer‚ Raymond Carver. Raymond’s use of alcohol is clearly displayed not
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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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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. And his being blind bothered me” (Carver 32). “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver 32). Furthermore‚ when Robert arrived at “my” house‚ the narrator made no special effort to engage Robert in conversation. He preferred
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