Brent Carver

Raymond Carver 's short story, "Cathedral", the narrator goes through a major personal transformation. At the beginning of the story, the narrator who lacks insight and awareness things around him. The struggles and failures he faces limit his social life which leads him to isolated from society. His wife 's blind friend Robert, pulls him out of his comfort zone which allows his attitude and outlook on life start to changes. The narrator in Raymond Carver 's "Cathedral" develops from being a…

Metaphor and Symbolism in Langston Hughes’s My People My people is one of Langston Hughes’ poems which is about working class black African American people. In this poem, he compared the beauty of nature to the beauty of his people. My people is a very short poem, built in three stanzas which consist of two lines in each stanza. This poem was written in simple language, therefore, the readers can easily understand what he is trying to convey. I believe, beneath its simple words, this poem…

One's ability to see is often taken for granted as it is in "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. The title suggests that the story deals with a cathedral, but it is really about two blind men; one physically, the other mentally. One of the men is Robert, the blind friend of the narrator's wife, and the other is the narrator himself. The narrator is the man who is mentally blind, and unknowingly describes his own prejudice. Carver writes the husband as a man with a very narrow mind. Two instances in…

Ignorance is the worst form of blindness. In the short story, “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver creates a dynamic character who is judgmental and lacks insight, but ironically, a blind man soon helps him see. This character, never actually given a name, is also the narrator. Carver’s decision to withhold his name is intriguing since he gives the blind man a name, Robert. The narrator in “Cathedral” himself produces an antisocial, prejudiced personality for others to interact with, but shows the…

The protagonist in Carver’s “Cathedral” also serves as the narrator. The man although nameless reveals to us (the readers) who he is throughout the story. We see many ranges in this character, he shows us that he is jealous, narrow-minded, self-centered, and even prejudice. Also even though he is not described as being blind himself, he does seem to be blinded to his wife’s thoughts and feelings, as well as to things he does not understand. The main character lacks intimacy, and seems to be…

Raymond Carver wrote “Cathedral,” the cathedral represents true sight, the ability to see beyond the surface to the true meaning that lies within. In “Cathedral” we encounter the narrator who thinks of his wife’s friend as nothing but a blind man. For he is a petty, jealous man… he does not care to meet any man whom his wife has connected with in the past. Although he is staying with him and his wife, he will speak to him anyhow. Robert will change the narrator’s way of thinking and seeing…

he’s sleeping forever: Characterization in “A Small, Good Thing” In “A Small, Good Thing”, Raymond Carver describes the events of a small boy, Scotty, getting injured and being hospitalized. His parents, Ann and Howard, then need to internalize the situation each in their own way until they finally accept Scotty’s death after meeting with a baker that has been giving the parents foreboding calls. Carver uses characterization in “A Small, Good Thing” to convey the idea of how Ann and Howard are…

In Raymond Carter’s story “Cathedral”, the narrator's wife invites a blind man, named Robert, over to her and her husband’s house because his wife, Beulah, recently passed away. The narrator was not too excited about Robert’s visit because he was not sure how to interact with a blind man. However, throughout the story, the narrator undergoes a major transformation. He begins to perceive a new outlook on Robert and even blind people in general. The theme in this story is the difference between…

consumption of alcohol. In “Chef’s House” written by Carver, isolation is seen between Wes and Edna’s relationship and in their relationships with their children; directly seen in The Lee Shore painting by Edward Hopper, the sailboats represent Wes, Edna, and…

In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator uses sight to make himself feel superior to Robert as he is threatened by Robert's ability to make deep connections however, this hinders the narrator's ability to connect with people as he is not able to see below their superficial attributes. Because of his insecurity and lack of understanding, the narrator is constantly criticizing and making Robert, the blind man, feel inadequate. This is because the narrator feels threatened by…