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Literary Analysis of Cathedral by Raymond Carver
Analysis of Cathedral by Raymond Carver
Analysis of Cathedral by Raymond Carver
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Raymond Carved and Edward Hopper are two very similar minimalist and realist when it comes to their works “Cathedral” by Carver and Room in New York by Hopper. The similarities between the two pieces of work range from as little as the setting and tone, to the overall message. The setting of both takes place inside of a home. In the short story “Cathedral”, Carver tells a story about the relationship between a man and his wife. Their relationship is not portrayed as perfect but rather more realistic with them having problems and not getting along. In the art piece, Room in New York, Hopper also portrays a man and woman who look distressed or upset with each other. Both works share the same idea. The idea that the couple's are separated and ignoring one another. In the story the narrator says, “My wife opened up her eyes …show more content…
Tell me, I want to know’ “ (Carver 227). However when she was asking him questions he did not answer her. In the piece of art, the man is reading a newspaper while the woman is playing the piano whilst her back was turned to him. This shows that they are clearly not speaking with each other or on good terms. The fact that her back is turned away from him and that there is a big table in between them also shows how they are seperated and not in sync. In “Cathedral”, we learn that the couple is separated when the narrator says that “In [his] wife's room, [he] looked around” (Carver 226). If they're sleeping in different rooms then they are dealing with a broken relationship. The holistic tone of each are dull and sad. The painting uses mostly neutral colors with sharp edges on everything except the table that's in between them. The neutral colors make you feel down and chill and the sharp edges with the pop of red add anger. They both show realism because they involve unsettling, realistic emotions. They provoke a sense of
Dillard refers to the corpses of the moths beneath the spider web in her bathroom for the 16 years she had quit writing as if it was the death of her writing as the moths died to the spider.
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
Upon reading Raymond Carver's short story of the Cathedral one will notice the literary devices used in the short story. When analyzing the story completely, one then understands the themes, motifs, metaphors, and the overall point of the piece. This leaves the reader with an appreciation of the story and a feeling of complete satisfaction.
Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout
Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062.
Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story "Cathedral." From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wife's friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
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.
Cooper, S. T., Hall, A. R. & Cooper, F. E., 2005. Los Angeles Art Deco. 2nd ed. Paris: Arcadia Publishing.
“Cathedral”, written by Raymond Carver and “A Pair of Tickets” written by Amy Tan are two stories very different from each other. They share only a few similarities. The main similarity in the two stories is the plot. In the two stories, they are both meeting someone important for the first time. Although the plot is the same in both stories, the characters in Cathedral and A Pair of Tickets are very different from each other.
In both stories the main characters were disengaged. In “Cathedral” The husband was disengaging with his wife he mention he found himself thinking what a “pitiful live” the blind man’s lived, he says:
Looking at the piece at first you will see a bedroom and you might think ‘oh what a simple and modest accommodation’ it’s not much of a room but it is nice. You get the sense that the person who sleeps in this room doesn’t have a lot of money to spare, and might even be on the brink of going bankrupt. The walls might be decorated with paintings but if you assume that the artist is painting his own room, which he was, then you would think that he hung up his own paintings. With the exception of two Japanese prints he did just put up his own paintings (Brooks, The Paintings).
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.
Looking at landscape art, especially when painted by one of the masters, many have undoubtedly pondered: what would it be like to live there? Shapes and attention to detail are, of course, important in a painting. However, it is color that draws the eye and inspires the heart. Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet and dramatist, spoke well of this when he noted that, “Mere color, unspoiled by meaning, and unallied with definite form, can speak to the soul in a thousand different ways. (qtd in “color”)”. Vincent Ward had a similar understanding of this impact when, in 1998, he directed the movie What Dreams May Come. Looking at this film, one can easily imagine being inside a living painting. The use of color to emphasize the emotional state of a character or event is common in films; nevertheless, Director Ward goes even farther in using color to represent the actual characters themselves. Red is the shade chosen to signify Annie and likewise, blue is used for Chris. Both of these, as will be shown, are accurate in defining these fictitious people. However, it is the profound use of purple in this film that is the true focal point. When mixing red and blue paint, one would find that, after being mixed, they cannot be separated. Likewise, this is true of the life and love these characters build and share. Purple represents the many ways in which Chris and Annie are melded, and joined.
While a quick glance at the painting reveals a soft, gentle female form with a background of intriguing landscape, further study introduces an added layer of mystery. The way the woman glances slightly to the side as well as her small smile makes viewers feel that she knows some secret. Yet, at the same time, she appears to be a very kind, friendly and approachable.