The Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin is a layered, multi genre story created by Margaret Atwood set in Port Ticonderoga, Canada throughout the 20th century. The two main characters are Iris and Laura Chase, the daughter of a rich war veteran who owns a button factory. The story itself is broken up into four subplots, all from the point of view of Iris, the eldest sister. The outermost story is of 80 year old Iris, her daily life, as she tells the second story of her family’s past, which hit on many of Atwood’s common themes such as power and gender roles. Interspersed between those chapters is the book supposedly written by Laura Case (although later revealed it was written by Iris as well), of two lovers meeting in secret and telling a science fiction story…

Humanity Barred “I’m not sure which is worse: intense feeling or the absence of it.” - Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin. The Human Rights Act is a document that was drafted in a time of global crisis. Article 5 is defined as a ban on torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. While this document was created to combat torturous acts, unfortunately they have been repeated through history, ranging on a small scale to a global crisis. Society will continue to repeat acts…

child all for the sake of the rest of the town. An exchange for the happiness and prosperity of the town one much suffer for the sake of the town. This causes many of the people in the town to not try and do anything to help the child, even if they want to. The expectation is placed upon everyone's shoulders that if one person is to forsake a rule and demise the town, they are not to help the child in the closet. They are not to comfort or be kind to the child for it will doom the town. So the…

In the story Cathedral, the narrator's mood changes from being jealous in a way to feeling connected with the blind man. In the beginning when he talks about the blind man he speaks in short sentences and avoids certain topics. Throughout the story he likes talking about his relationship with his wife and all of their good times. He likes to make jokes about the blind man saying things like "maybe I can take him bowling" and things of the sort. Gradually through the movie the narrator becomes…

by his wife’s blind friend. Originally the blind man has come to see the woman his friend who he hasn’t seen in years, however in this story the narrator is the one who benefits most from the presence of the blind man. Although the narrator is her husband the blind man seems to know more about the woman than him, the wife and the blind man have been communicating by sending tapes with recorded messages and poems to each other through mail since before the woman married her now husband, when the…

Critical Reading: “The Blind Man” We live in a society where people are solely judged by their appearance. We allow the media and the internet to develop our opinions. Most of us no longer take the time to get to know each other and it's rather unfortunate. The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is very relatable and is a great example because it deals with the idea of looking versus actually seeing. One might think that those two words are interchangeable but Carver shows that…

1) What does the cathedral symbolize in the story? I believe the cathedral symbolizes a few things from forgiveness and acceptance . At the beginning of the story the narrator who is also the husband was very skeptical about having Robert the blind man into his home. His excuse was “ I have no blind friends” to his wife. However, that did not stop his wife from inviting Robert in with open arms regardless of what her husband thought. The narrator at first was keeping his distance, but towards…

In the story the “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver this is a story of a blind man named Robert gets invited to the narrator’s house. The narrator didn’t like that Robert was coming to his house, but he didn’t have a choice. The narrator didn’t want Robert in his house because he was blind. The narrator’s wife helped Robert in the summertime by reading reports. She is particularly kind toward Robert, more so than she is to her husband, which makes the narrator jealous. One night, Robert went to the…

feels pity and sadness. At the beginning of the story, the narrator seems hesitant of the visiting blind man. He describes the old man the way he has seen blind people in movies; “the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes led by seeing-eye dogs” (94). Immediately, it can be seen in his personality that he thinks in a very stereotypical way. He has never actually talked to or been around a blind person he is just going off the way they are depicted in movies. This behavior also…

In the short story “Cathedral” the point of view isn't hard to figure out. Through the first person narrative, the reader is able to see the transformation that is undergone by the main character in a single night. One of the first things the narrator describes is his wife's relationship with Robert. From what the husband describes, the reader is left with the impression that he doesn't think very highly of blind people. The reader is also left with the sense that he distrusts blind people,…