O. Henry Award

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…

Raymond Carver “Jerry and Molly and Sam” is a short story of a man who is an alcoholic. The story takes us to the life of an alcoholic whose name is Al. Because Al hates the dog he plans “to get rid of the dog without Betty or the kids finding out about it” (Carver 15). This is significant because he thinks that getting rid of dog will fix all his problems. Furthermore, he thinks that the dog is useless. According to Stephanie Harrison, editor of the Adaptations, she emphasizes that most of…

Writers use symbolism to strengthen their writing, making it more interesting and adding a layer of deeper meaning by adding key literary elements because it fills the story with excitement which makes it more fun for the reader. Most authors get an opportunity to utilize these literary devices to make each story his or her own like setting the tone, building the characters, and leading the reader through the journey of the authors mind. Likewise, the literary elements like imagery and syntax…

Raymond Carver is best known for his work as a short story writer, he started the minimalist movement, releasing popular collections of short stories like "Cathedral", the Pulitzer Prize nominated "Where I 'm Calling From" that came out shortly before Carver 's death, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love", & "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?". Carver helped bring life back to short stories at a time when they were thought to be going away. He was born on May 25, 1938 in the state of…

After a loved one has passed, many try to find the piece of them that is missing. In the short story "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" by Sherman Alexie, Jackson Jackson attempts to earn over nine hundred dollars to "win" back the regalia from his grandmother at the pawn shop. Unfortunately the one day he has to earn the money for the regalia, he only comes back with five dollars, the amount he originally began with. Superficial readers would believe that Jackson goes on the journey to only win the…

“Little Things” written by Raymond Carver demonstrates how lost hope in a family develops regularly throughout the world today. This is significant, for Carver creates a short story with minimal usage of explanations to inform readers of how couples take the road to hell. You can describe his writing as an unspoken story; stories where much of the author’s writing is implied or understood without being spoken. Our minds take in information and create scenarios from his writing with what was…

Raymond’s Carver is an American writer that wrote the short story, “Cathedral,” that uses a first person point of view narration in which the narrator fundamentally transforms and is enlightened with a self-realization. The story transitions in a change in the tone of the narrator as being sarcastic, judgmental, and insulting in which he experiences an epiphany and has a brighter perception. The story begins with the feeling of apprehension of the gathering of his wife’s friend Robert who is…

Character Analysis (Cathedral) The “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver. The unnamed narrator who is also the husband undergoes an emotional change throughout the story. The narrator's wife used to work for a blind man called Robert whose wife sadly died of cancer, and he is coming to visit the narrator and his wife, but the narrator is not happy about the visit. All because in his shallow mind, he thinks blind people are dirty and miserable. Sadly, enough he got this feeling from what he has seen…

In the short story, “Cathedral”¸ written by Raymond Carver, the narrator is a middle-aged man who is very judgmental towards a blind man, however, as the story develops, the reader comes to the realization that “[The blind man] sees how to get along with others... by contrast, the narrator, although sighted, does not see how his isolation damages himself, his wife, and their relationship (Bloom, 47).” This story has a biased view towards the blind man because it is told in the first person view…

It is viewed this way because the heavens are usually viewed as a light, peaceful place, and black, being the opposite of this connotation, immediately lends itself to be viewed as evil. The cat initially seems harmless, and does not harm his rescuer David, but Alexie uses the cat’s dark hue to illustrate the foreboding hardship for the couple. Sharon and David’s relationship would not be the same had the cat not come between them and tainted it. Although the couple ends up living a happy life,…