Anton Chekhov

Flannery O’Connor produced a short story—one that almost allows the reader to have free admission into their own objective thoughts—titled “The Lame Shall Enter First” (1965). However, the 3rd person narration is interrupted an unsettling number of times by one of the main character’s biases; O’Connor cannot help but include Sheppard’s own thoughts and feelings throughout the tale. In these instances, the opportunity is lost for the reader to draw their own conclusions on the narrative’s events.…

At the end of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”, The narrator and Robert sit down to draw a cathedral of their own. To us this may seem like nothing, but within the story, it’s has large significance. Throughout this story we are made to feel like the narrator is just a rude and judgmental kind of guy. At each twist and turn in the story he is always there to add a harsh comment, usually towards his wife’s blind friend. One specific time can be noticed during a conversation with his wife about the…

Blindness and disability is a strong theme in literature. Raymond Carver penned the 1983 short story Cathedral in an anthology of the same name. The story centers on an unnamed narrator, who has a strong sense of dislike towards a blind friend of his wife’s. Throughout the visit of Robert, the blind man, the narrator learns more about himself and passes on a message of tolerance and understanding to the reader. Carver’s work was later published in Best American Short Stories, 1982. The majority…

“Fat” by Raymond Carver is the first short story in a collection called Will You Please Be Quiet, Please. Carver intrigued me because of his unique style of writing and captivated me from the first short story I read. This short story is a conversation between the narrator and her friend Rita, as she serves a fat man in the diner where they both work. The story, whilst seemingly is a ‘slice of life’ everyday mundane observation, slowly becomes more uncomfortable and unsettles dark secrets that…

Leo Tolstoy pulls no punches when the story of The Death of Ivan Ilyich begins. The revelation that Ivan Ilyich has died was met with dismay and shock for all of the wrong reasons. Colleagues and “friends” became concerned for his death not because of the loss of his life, but for the inconveniences and changes it would cause for them. The lack of sincerity surrounding Ivan became very clear in the opening scenes of the story, and we quickly start to realize that Ivan lived a “false” life.…

Tolstoy’s mind, Pushkin’s refinement, and Dostoevsky’s psychological penetration, but the only one you wish to be like is Chekhov.” Indeed, as one reads Chekhov’s work or about his life, it is hard not to relate to the man himself behind his immense literary achievements. In stark contrast to the higher-class backgrounds of other Russian literary giants such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Chekhov was born to a poor peasant family, and soon started providing its primary financial support. With a…

“Cathedral” is a story about a man’s changing views, based on a growing and learning experience that he faces throughout the story. The man’s speech on his wife about her initial contact with the blind man begins passively: her job to work for the man is simply a job, nothing more. The narrator grows a rapid jealousy and resentment, following the event where his wife allowed the blind man to touch her face, although his initial reaction to reading the poem about the event is blank and unmoving,…

R.K.Narayan’s ‘Talkative Man’-A Mini Novel of Many Characters: A Study A. Phaniraja Kumar Abstract: Talkative Man is a short novel based on a man’s life in his struggle to make his reputation as a renowned journalist(TM) in the well-known modern town of Malgudi. It also describes the charisma of born flirt Dr. Rann and his Home Guard wife, Sarasa. In this novel R.K.Narayan focuses on characters rather than incidents. It is an entertaining read with humorous moments juxtaposed…

Looking But Not Seeing. Appreciably, blindness is a dominant theme woven through the garment of the “Cathedral” story by Raymond Carver. One is taken aback by the utter rawness and cold attitude exhibited by the narrator about the blind man. The narrator loudly wonders on who could dare attend a little wedding between Robert, the blind man and his sweetheart Beulah and further states that he does not have any blind person as a friend. As the story develops, one thing becomes certain that the…

In, John Creever’s, “The Swimmer”, he explain’s ones journey as a gesture of impermanence in character through the use of inanimate pieces. Cheevar is able to explain the changes in Neddys wellness – transformations that associate with each of Neddy’s swimming trips in his neighbor’s pools. The story is able to utilize the object of swimming pools to illustrate the passage of time, emphasizing, through Neddy’s swimming adventure, one’s coming of age. Before Neddy’s swimming experience he is…