The Stone Carvers

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…

In this short reader's response essay I will simply describe or explain why I think, feel, or believe that the short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek" is the best from this week. I think the short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek” was the best from this week. This was the the best short story to me because it offers two different types of conflicts and it also has the best plot. It shows that the main character Peyton was experiencing issues within himself as well as with a few members of the…

Roger Chillingworth is the major blockade inhibiting Hester Prynne from discovering contentment in her life. Initially, it is effortless to sympathize with the old man, seeing as the first thing he witnesses when he arrives in Boston is his duplicitous wife on the scaffold. He is first described as scholarly, yet deformed, “There was a remarkable intelligence in his features…a seemingly careless arrangement of his heterogeneous garb, he had endeavored to conceal or abate the peculiarity…one of…

In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral", the narrator seems to have a small minded approach towards life. In the beginning, the narrator ridicules his wife's past lover, and Robert's (the blind man's) wife, Beulah. When the narrator begins to explain the story behind Robert's wife, he states that there wedding "was a little wedding—who’d want to go to such a wedding in the first place?—"( page 3). In this, the narrator is seen to be negative and bitter towards Robert. Similarly, the narrator ridicules…

looked forward to” (Carver 84). The narrator does not even…