Diction In Cathedral

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“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver contains many examples of irony, juxtaposition, imagery, and epiphany. While maintaining a minimalist approach, Carver uses evocative diction to assist the reader in visualizing the story through the blind man’s perspective. Using the bare minimum of detail allows the reader to dig deeper and find the underlying meaning, including themes of alienation and loneliness ("Cathedral."). Ironically, the limited point of view of the story allows for various units of style and for the ability to create vivid imagery in the readers’ mind. “Cathedral” relies on irony as a pivotal component in telling the narrative. The story introduces three key characters: the narrator’s wife, Robert (the …show more content…

The audience knows this because the passage says, “I got up from the sofa with my drink and went to the window to have a look. I saw my wife laughing as she parked the car. I saw her get out of the car and shut the door. She was still wearing a smile. Just amazing.” Because the narrator is obviosuly unable to see his wife in any other than the most basic form of the word “wife,” one can see he is blind to human relationship (Henningfield). Another ironic part of this story is the idea that the speaker has all of the necessities that one needs to be happy and the blind man has nothing. Although the blind man lost his wife and sight, he still has a better perception of life and how to enjoy it with a positive attitude. The narrator originally has a pessimistic outlook towards humanity which eventually does change by the end of the piece with the help of Robert. Once again, this is ironic because the blind man “sees” life in a more positive way than the narrator, even with the loss of his sight. All in all, the irony in this story contributes greatly to the author’s style and character

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