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Raymond Carver's contribution to modern literature
Raymond Carver's contribution to modern literature
Raymond Carver's contribution to modern literature
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“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver and “The Lie” by Kurt Vonnegut are two American short stories from the mid to late 1900s. Both stories demonstrate that people who are viewed as inferior, outcasts, or different are some of the wisest and most valuable resources in life. “Cathedral” and “The Lie” are similar because both literary works feature a main character who gains a new perspective from a character who they once viewed as inferior.
In “Cathedral,” the narrator starts off as a single-minded man who fears what he does not know. For instance, when he discovers that his wife’s blind friend is spending the night, his words are, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver 1). The narrator fears blindness because he is
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not familiar with it. He doesn’t want to associate with someone different than himself. After spending time with Robert, the blind man, constructing a beautiful interpretation of a cathedral, his opinion is completely different. Once the drawing is nearly complete, Robert asks how it looks, and the narrator explains, “I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer… I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything. ‘It’s really something’” (Carver 13). The narrator’s time with Robert teaches him innumerable lessons and enables him to transform his view of the world from single-minded to vast and open. Robert shows the narrator that true seeing consists of taking a step outside oneself, admiring the everyday things in the world, and finding the inner beauty in everything, including an everyday cathedral. The narrator learned to trust that what the two of them created would be beautiful, and he did not need his eyes to prove it. Just as the narrator gained a new perspective from the blind man in “Cathedral,” the main character in “The Lie” learns a valuable lesson from a character he previously dismissed as unwise and inferior.
At the beginning of the story, Dr. Remenzel has no faith in his son to be respectful and humble. For example, during the car ride to Whitehill Preparatory School, he says, “Let me tell you in no uncertain terms … that you are not to ask for anything special Eli- not anything” (Vonnegut 6). Dr. Remenzel knows that his last name carries weight at the school they are going to, but demands that his son, Eli, does not take advantage of this. Dr. Remenzel is adamant about this and says it several times to ensure that his son receives the message. Once he discovers that Eli didn’t get into Whitehill, the prep school that Remenzels have been attending for decades, he lashes out and asks the board members and headmaster to reconsider. After doing so, he explains to Eli, “I asked them to make an exception in your case- to reverse their decision and let you in” (Vonnegut 12). Upon hearing that news, Eli responds, “You shouldn’t have done that!” (Vonnegut 12). In the end, Dr. Remenzel is the one who doesn’t follow his own advice. Eli scolds his father for acting so inappropriately. He is wise in choosing to respond to the bad news calmly and he teaches his father that it is tough, but necessary, to accept failure. Eli also shares with his parents the idea that other opportunities will present themselves and that there will be a school for him
somewhere. “The Lie” and “Cathedral” feature a main character who fears failure, loss, and what is unknown, who eventually learns something valuable from a person they once viewed as inferior. The narrator in “Cathedral” learns how to appreciate the world around him from a blind man and in “The Lie,”Dr. Remenzel learns from his son Eli that failure is an inherent part of life and it must be handled maturely. The heart of both stories is acceptance, care, and kindness. As Mark Twain wrote, “kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” When these characters listen to those around them, specifically people they have dismissed in the past, they learn that failure isn’t the worst thing, that there is value in everyone’s lessons and stories, and that one is only blind if he refuses to look at the world around him. “Cathedral” and “The Lie” pose the idea that those who face challenges in life and are belittled by society may be wiser than those who are smarter, wealthier, or more powerful than them.
William Shenstone states, “Jealousy is the fear of apprehension of superiority: envy our easiness under it.” The main character in the short story “Cathedral,” written by a well written American short story Author, Raymond Carver, is a married man with doubts of another man from his wife’s past, making him jealous. Carver uses the husband to narrate the short story. The setting takes place in the house of the husband. The story tells about Robert, the antagonist who lost his wife and visits his old friend. The envious character causes conflict with himself about the relationship of the wife and friend. The protagonist’s uneasiness of meeting the old friend starts from the beginning before his arrival. Robert, the blind
The short story, “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver, is about a blind man who changes the way the narrator views life by giving him some insight on how he sees things. The characters in this short story are constantly developing into better versions of themselves by sharing their insights with one another.
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, the main character, goes through a major personal transformation. At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. Through interaction with his wife's blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes. Although at first he seemed afraid to associate with a blind man, Robert's outgoing personality left him with virtually no choice. During Robert's visit, he proved to be a normal man, and showed the speaker that by closing his eyes, he could open his mind.
Both Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral” and John Updike’s short story “A&P” contain two main characters that stereotype a group of people, but in the end this provokes them to have a revelation in the way they view themselves and the people around them. For Sammy in the story “A&P” it is the young, girls who bring about his change of heart and for the husband in “Cathedral” it is the blind man Robert. The two story lines relate as the two main characters view the stereotyped groups of people negatively. The girls and the blind man are viewed as intruders into the main characters’ daily lives. The two catalysts “the girls” and “Robert” are the cause of change, a real eye opener for the two main characters of the stories,
The narrator in Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral" is not a particularly sensitive man. I might describe him as self-centered, superficial, and egotistical. And while his actions certainly speak to these points, it is his misunderstanding of the people and the relationships presented to him in this story which show most clearly his tragic flaw: while Robert is physically blind, it is the narrator who cannot clearly see the world around him.
In his short story, “The Lie”, Kurt Vonnegut suggests that status should not entitle people to special treatment. When Doctor Remenzel learns that Eli hadn’t been accepted into Whitehill, he tries to use his connections to get Eli into the school. After hearing his request, all of the Board members refused to make an exception for Eli because of his family name. Subdued, Doctor Remenzel returns to his family to tell them what he tried to do. When Eli hears of his father’s actions, the author writes “‘Now I am ashamed,’ said Eli, and he showed that he was. Doctor Remenzel, in his wretchedness, could find no strong words to say. ‘I apologize to you both,’ he said at last. ‘It was a very bad thing to try’” (12). At the
“Cathedral,” a short story written by Raymond Carver, presents an intriguing story of an ignorant man 's lesson. During this story, Carver 's working class characters are crushed by broken marriages, financial issues, and fulfilling jobs, but they are frequently unable to understand or communicate their own sufferings. However, the main story consists of the narrator, known as “Bub,” facing an internal conflict about a blind man named Robert staying the night in his home. Regardless of the fact that this blind man is his wife 's long time friend, the narrator cannot find himself comfortable with such an idea because of his extreme prejudices. Although, despite the narrator’s conflict he finds himself connecting to Robert on a more personal
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," the husband's view of blind men is changed when he encounters his wife's long time friend, Robert. His narrow minded views and prejudice thoughts of one stereotype are altered by a single experience he has with Robert. The husband is changed when he thinks he personally sees the blind man's world. Somehow, the blind man breaks through all of the husband's jealousy, incompetence for discernment, and prejudgments in a single moment of understanding.
In Raymond Carver’s story “Cathedral” the narrator learns what it means to “see” through someone who cannot. To see is to be able to view the things around us while putting aside preconceived notions or fear about these objects or people. In order for this to occur once must overcome what they feel is out of the ordinary and learn to accept things as they are. At first the narrator is doesn’t accept the man and uncomfortable around Robert. The narrator soon comes to understand this when he puts aside his fears, and judgments that he can see more than what meets the eye, and the freedom that comes along with this seeing.
Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" depicted the interaction between a narrow minded husband, with a limited understanding of the world around him, and a blind visitor, named Robert, that proved to be the catalyst that dramatically changed the husband's view on the world, while they went from being strangers to becoming friends. In the beginning of the story, the husband disliked the concept of his wife bringing her blind friend over to stay since he never had met a blind person before and did not understand it. However, as the story progresses, the husband, through interaction and observation, begins to dispel his fears and misconceptions of Robert and his blindness. With the help of Robert, the husband gains a revelation that changed his view and opened his eyes to the world.
...l of open-mindedness. “Cathedral” concerns the change in one man’s understanding of himself and the world. From the start of the story the narrator is restricted in his understanding to accept the blind man just as his wife has. He cannot fully wrap around the idea of what makes Robert so special. Until, that is, that the narrator starts drawing the cathedral which starts off as a house almost, and expands into something grander. This short story allows us to realize that the world is greater and further detailed than what we consider it in our confined minds. And that in fact we should never assume that there is nothing more to what the eye can see. It simply states that we shouldn’t form an opinion on someone or something based only on what you see on the exterior, because usually after taking the time to explore, the person or thing will not be what you expected.
In Raymond Carver’s story, “Cathedral,” the story tells of how a close outside relationship can threaten a marriage by provoking insecurities, aggravating communication barriers, and creating feelings of invasion of privacy. The husband in the story is given the gift of seeing the cathedral through a blind man’s eyes. Although the title suggests that the story is about a cathedral, it is really about two men who come together and share a vision and realize it is he who is blind. As the story begins, the character of the husband has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, is narrow-minded, and is jealous of his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert.
The narrator in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" has two fully functional eyes, in which he chooses never to use to their full potential. The eyes of the narrator are biased, insecure, jealous, and very limited in what they choose to see. This inability to see is made apparent when he is forced to meet and converse with a blind man. The narrator's perception of the world around him, and blurred vision, is resolved by a great irony in the story when Roger helps the narrator see past his prejudice outlook on life. The blind man teaches the narrator how to see.
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
From the start Vonnegut used descriptive words and repetition to hint towards Eli’s nervousness and fear. Before it was officially said Vonnegut made it quite obvious “Doctor Remenzel and his wife had no doubts whatsoever about their son’s getting into Whitehill.” This shows that even though they most likely knew about Eli’s bad grades from the past, they see him going no where but Whitehill,