Literary Merit Literary Analysis

The imagery and symbolism in the Cathedral show a transformation in the life of the narrator, who perceived the blind man has a threat to him, later learn the significance of humanity through the kindness and caring gestures of the blind man. Whereas the imagery and symbol in everyday use was the quilts, handmade by the narrator’s mother and sister representing the legacy of their family.

Blindness is not limited to physical manifestation. In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” the figurative blindness is immediately apparent through the narrator and his shallowness, irrational jealousy, and egotistical personality. His dismissive behavior and ignorance towards the feelings of Robert, his wife’s blind friend, speak negatively of his character and reveals his insecurities. While the narrator’s emotional blindness and Robert’s physical blindness initially inhibits their bond, it eventually leads the narrator to an epiphany and the beginning of a character transformation. The different forms of blindness allow the characters to bond and grow over the course of the story.

The Story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is about true blindness and the effects of emotional contact. Peterson studies the use of determiners, a and the, that refer to the blind man in the story and its effects to establish the atmosphere of the story. He states that the change in determiner seems subtle, but these subtle changes are significant because the changes show how narrator feel about Robert throughout the story. Nesset studies the sexual polices and the love lives in several Carver’s stories. He discusses how Carver wrote his stories based on less of love and more of love withdrawal. Also Facknitz addresses rediscovery of human worth and the effects of emotional touch by discussing three short stories written by Carver. He analyses each narration of the narrator and comments based on psychological manner. The story “Cathedral” suggests the meaning of true blindness does not only refer to physical disability; it refers to those people who cannot see the world from other’s perspectives and it can be overcome through emotional contact.

The second thing that makes the theme or message come out is the characterization in the story. In Cathedral, there are three main characters. The most important character in the story is Robert, the blind friend of the wife's. Unlike the narrator, Robert cannot physically see, but has a clear vision of appreciating the person's true inner self. For example, when the narrator cannot comprehend how Robert's wife even loved Robert. He says,
"It was beyond my understanding. Hearing this, I felt sorry for the blind man for a little bit. And then I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led. Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one. A woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment

The use of symbolism such as the physical and emotional meanings of blindness can describe different meanings behind elements of the story. In the critical essay, the author discusses why an author might choose to make a character bling and what it means. Diane Andrews Henningfeld, the author of the critical essay explains, “clearly the author wants to emphasize other levels of sight and blindness beyond physical.” Blindness can be more than just the levels of physical sight and the author wants that to be understood. The author wants to emphasize and make it very clear that other levels of sight and blindness exist like not seeing the beauty in life and being blind to it beyond just being able to see with your eyes. The quote can feel something about the characters traits and how they can be so opposite from their physical abilities. This quote Conveys the facts. People can see in different ways. It is stated that,“although he is blind, he ‘sees’ how to get along with others in profound and important ways. By contrast, the narrator, although sighted, does not see how his isolation damages himself, his wife, and their relationship. He is

Power and control plays a big role in the lives many. When power is used as a form of control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That Came To Town along with The Fun They Had show that when an individual is suppressed by majority they become despondent.

Our group established 5 criterions to state what makes great literature. Our first criterion was “A great book must contain a message that applies to not only those who have experienced situations in the book, but provide perspective to those who have not.” A message that can be understood by numerous groups of people is vital to a great piece of literature. Our second criterion is that in order to teach a lesson it must expose a fault in human nature or in society. Our society is just as flawed as humanity is. Acknowledging these flaws is the first step in overcoming the trials of society and man. Our third criterion is centered around the craftsmanship of the literary work. This can apply to a groundbreaking new approach to narration. Or even complex characters and a unique and individual style (Faulkner.) In summary, the 3rd criterion tries to move past just the message itself, and to focus on

In All the Light We Cannot See, the picture of the world is clouded by the brutality and effects of World War 2. Both characters possess a certain weakness that makes them vulnerable to the effects of others. While Werner was under the strict teachings of a Nazi training camp, Marie lost her eyesight when she was six years old. These weaknesses create a pathway for others around them to influence their thinking and

The act of looking is related to physical vision while the act of seeing involves an enhanced understanding of what it means to truly exist. In the short story “Cathedral”, the narrator is blind to appreciating the human experience until he meets a blind man who ironically becomes the one who teaches him how to see in a way he never knew how. The author Raymond Carver uses symbolism within this story to reinforce the theme of blindness, and the difference between looking and seeing.

While the narrator’s wife was waiting for Robert in the train station, the narrator was thinking about the miserable life of a blind person. The narrator was thinking about Robert and the relationship he had with her wife. He was thinking how Robert’s wife couldn’t feel what it was to be admired. For example, the narrator states, “Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one” (276). Indeed, although the narrator felt bad about the condition of the blind man, he felt worst about how was the life of a person who lived close to a blind man.

“Raymond’s Runs” and “Not Just for the Gold” have 3 similarities that are very interesting. Both include someone with a disability. For example in Raymond’s Runs, one of the main characters named Raymond has a mental disability, and in Not Just for the Gold the main character named Brad Snyder is blind. In addition, both deal with athletics or sports. Squeaky was a runner and will teach Raymond to do so. Also, Brad was a world record swimmer. Finally, both stories have characters who want to help others. In Raymond’s Runs, Squeaky will train Raymond to compete in races. Not Just for the Gold, Brad shares his stories so that others will be inspired. The two stories are very similar, they teach you amazing things and will inspire you.

“And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed...A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” The main character and narrator of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” harbors such predetermined assumptions about his wife’s visiting friend, Robert, who happens to be blind. Throughout the story, the narrator describes his wife’s past, which includes details about her first love, how her acquaintance with Robert came to be, and Robert’s impression on her life in the preceding years as they exchanged audiotapes to keep up with one another. Robert’s arrival and company begins to defy and change the narrator’s postulated ideas about blind individuals and even influences the narrator to act more open-minded. Nearing the end of the story, when the television portrays certain European cathedrals, Robert requests that the narrator draw a cathedral with him and has him close his eyes, which ultimately alters his understanding of himself and the world. As many elements of the story reflect Raymond Carver’s own life, the audience can gain a sense of his personality through the narrator and Robert. Through the narrator’s need for intoxication, narrative style, and his depiction of his wife and Robert, the irony that even though the narrator and his wife are not blind, they are still missing a sense of satisfaction in their lives while Robert, unable to see, understands the world and the key to happiness.

Marie-Laure is a sixteen year old French girl who is blind, and although she can no longer see the light of the world, she is the only character who still embodies the same innocent lightness she did as a child. Her childhood was spent soaking up the good rays of her Father’s love. Unbeknownst to her that an evil darkness surrounds her, but he protects from the pain going on in the world. While fleeing their apartment in Saint-Malo, he takes her to a “hotel,” which was an abandoned barn (110). She is oblivious of the conditions, “her expression is faraway. Lost…” (110). Her lost expression shows how Marie-Laure’s perception of the world is adrift in a sea of distorted truth. She knows of the war going on outside her window, but unaware

Memories, symbols, and patterns greatly affect a piece of literature, if these connections are made by the reader either consciously or unconsciously they can often lessen the difficulty of the piece and enhance the reader’s understanding of the material. For example, the great American novel, The Great Gatsby, is packed with important memories, symbols, and patterns that further enrich the novel with the true dark side of the American Dream. A major symbol in The Great Gatsby is the presence of the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, that Gatsby is seen reaching towards. The light, on one level, represents Gatsby’s longing for a perfect future with Daisy, which is close and visible, but never quite close enough to reach. On another level,

The brick walls represent a sense of restriction or limitation, or of being symbolically imprisoned for some unreal or real felony. Even though both of them are separated, they still manage to break the restriction of distance and fall in love. I used the empty space because it implies peacefulness of the soul and loss of belief. This is manifested through Bernard’s loss of faith and conversion. Also, night can symbolize the idea of something being empty, boundless, and often remorseful. Even when the letter is literally set during the day, night may be invoked. Night’s remorse appears through Bernard’s letters more often than Frances’. In classic literature, light is often synonymous with love, especially the overwhelming power of the physical emotion. This is especially why I preferred to use the lamb light exactly underneath Frances, since she is that character who once did not believe in such thing as