intro to lit

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Cathedral by Raymond Carver is a story about over coming stereotypes. The story begins as his wife’s blind friend is coming for a visit and the husband is nervous because he didn’t know any blind men from before. After the story progresses the husband realizes he was wrong to judge to blind man before he knew him. From learning about Raymond Carvers background, analyzing the story, and relating my personal response, I have found a greater understanding and appreciation for short stories.
Biography
On May 25, 1938, Raymond Carver was born to Mr. and Mrs. Carver of Oregon. Soon after his birth, his parents moved to Yakima, Washington, which is where Raymond spent most of his childhood. With his alcoholic father in and out of work, the Carver family was very poor during his life. He gained an interest in writing at a young age but put it on hold so he could work and earn money for his family. When his parents decided to move to California to find work, he had already started planning for Maryann Burk, girl four years younger that he had fallen in love with, to marry him.
In 1957, they married and within the first two years of marriage they had two children, Christine and Vance. Like his father before him, Carver was an alcoholic who tried to write and attend college. This left Maryann to having to work and make money for the family by taking waitressing jobs in where ever they moved to. Things started to look up after his short story “Furious Seasons” was published. He was after invited to attend the Iowa Writer’s Workshop to begin writing again. He soon moved his family up to Iowa City. However he spent most of the time drinking and soon left the workshop after the news of his father’s death brought him back to California.
After t...

... middle of paper ...

...imilarities from his life and they story. He made his family move all over the country and in the story the wife moved all over with her first husband. Also they drank all the time. Carver was an alcoholic
While you’re reading it, you feel for the husband because clearly he is the third wheel in his own house. He is sitting on some chair by himself and the blind man and his wife were sitting together and laughing. I felt so bad for bad him.
After reading it, I saw that realized that it was really about over coming stereotypes. In the beginning, he talks about how he thinks blind people are like then by the end, he has is eyes closed and is appreciating what it is like to be blind.
After looking at Raymond Carver’s personal background, analyzing the story Cathedral, and responding to it in my own way, I now have a deeper appreciation for the art of short stories.

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