The parallel between “Cathedral” and “A&P”

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The parallel between “Cathedral” and “A&P” Raymond Carver with “Cathedral” and “A&P” by John Updike are both short stories, even if in facts they are written during the same century, readers can interpret the changes that occurred to be really different. They both introduce characters that are being victim of stereotype by the protagonists, but somehow these characters made a great change into the protagonists’ view of the world and life itself. The stories differ in atmosphere and the quantity of people involve in each story which might be important to understand how changes occur. The audience can understand after analyzing these two stories that change is always possible and based on your action, a lesson is always to be learned the easy or the hard way. The story “Cathedral” took place in a family house with only the husband, wife, and finally the blind man, the wife in the story can be qualified as a static character who also try to kill herself in the past. Unlike in the short story “A&P” the event took place in a grocery store with Sammy, the three girls and finally the manager who is also a static character, nothing special with him, just the typical manager the “man”. The short story “Cathedral” is protagonist is a married man who have difficulties making connections with people and even his wife, and he seems to have problems maybe a little jealous of the connection his wife is able to make with other people. “A&P” is protagonist is Sammy, an eighteen years old boy who works in a grocery store, and he hates his job. The two stories do not express the same stereotype values, the husband in “Cathedral” is being stereotype against the blinds, and he seems to have his mind made about how all blind people are, so in the ... ... middle of paper ... ...b. 30 Mar. 2014. Hendrickson, Joel William. http://www.lonestar.edu/13775.htm. n.d. Document. 16 March 2014. Kellner, Bruce. "A&P: Overview." Reference Guide to Short Fiction. Ed. Noelle Watson. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2014 Saldívar, Toni. "The Art of John Updike's 'A & P'." Studies in Short Fiction 34.2 (Spring 1997): 215-225. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. Saltzman, Arthur M. "Understanding Raymond Carver." Understanding Raymond Carver. University of South Carolina Press, 1988. 152-154. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. Updike John 14. A&P, Backpack literature edited. California: X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia edited, 2012.

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