The Lives and Works of Raymond Carver

Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” and Tess Gallagher’s “Rain Flooding your Campfire” are good examples of intertextual dialogue between two writers. These two stories show us how two writers can grow and develop short stories differently from the same experience. There are similarities between the stories, such as the use of a first person narrator, the plot, setting, and also there is an interchange between the narrator and the blind man in both stories. But within these similarities there are also differences; the narrators are two different people with two very different views on the situation, and although there is an interchange between the characters they are two different types with two different messages. Gallagher’s story is a

The author speaks of the shame of having the only outdoor toilet in the neighborhood, driving the oldest car in town but he also mentions the trips to Seattle they took as a family and how memorable that was for him. Carver had a complex relationship with his father that began with sharing the same name. Everyone is trying to find their own identity in life, For sons who are named after their fathers this seems to be a more difficult task.

Obviously, family problems could affect all aspects of the society. In “Popular Mechanics,” a story written by Raymond Carver's in 1988. Shows the husband was ready to leave his wife. Then, it turned into an argument between them, which rapidly escalated into a physical scuffle over who will keep the baby. In this complexity; parent’s separation can lead to a massive destruction of their child’s life. Because separation can shake the faith in dependency on parents who now behave in an extremely unreliable way.

Carver lived most of his life in a world which could not provide the luxury of

Kenan’s “The Foundations of the Earth” illustrate how arrogance undermines knowledge and individual power and humility enhances those qualities. In each story, characters with parochial worldviews encounter people who challenge them to change. Other perspectives are available if they are able to let go of their superior attitudes. For example, Hawthorne’s protagonist, Aylmer, believes he has the ability and right to create perfection. He views a birthmark on his wife, Georgiana, as evidence of a flaw that must be removed no matter what the cost. His assistant, Aminadab, (an earthy alter-ego) remarks, “If she were my wife, I’d never part with that

In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver the unnamed narrator and his wife are constantly arguing. Cathedral takes place in New York at the narrator’s and his wife’s home during the early 1980’s. The narrator is not a good husband, drinks a lot, and smokes marijuana. The narrator is jealous of Robert because he can connect better with the narrator’s wife. He is not a good husband and is judgemental. The wife is lonely and wants to be understood by her husband. She writes poems to Robert because her husband does not appreciate her art like he does. Robert is the narrator’s wife’s friend who comes to visit, he is blind but can see the world through his heart. The narrator’s wife used to work for Robert. They were both really close and

Short stories have fully developed themes but appear significantly shorter and less elaborate than novels. A similar theme found in short stories “Winter Dreams” written by Scott F. Fitzgerald and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner included the social and environmental influences that encouraged and controlled the character’s life and decisions. In “Winter Dreams”, the main protagonist-- Dexter-- fell into a fixation over a young, whimsical blueblood, Judy Jones. His obsession led him to believe that Judy Jones reciprocated his feelings for her, leaving him bare and mortal-- despite prior beliefs. Following her father’s death, Miss Emily fell into a dark obscurity due to the pressure and compulsion of having to carry on the honorable family name. While using a unique point of view (first person peripheral), “A Rose for Emily” followed a mysterious and desirable woman named Miss Emily as her hometown tried to understand her peculiar ways and began to find her disgraceful. By comparing and contrasting these two literary pieces, a similar organization-- including the writers’ purpose and themes-- should become clear. By using literary devices-- such as point of view, dramatic irony, detail, and figurative language-- Scott F. Fitzgerald and William Faulkner conducted two short stories similar in aim and reasoning, probable for contrasting and comparing elements within the parallel writings.

Being able to relate to people can often be a huge problem. In both James Baldwin’s short Sonny’s Blues and Raymond Carver short story Cathedral. The main focus of the story is realization. In both stories the main characters are challenged with situations in which they must break free of their judgments. Both characters undergo a transformation and views life through the eyes of another character. What are their transformations and how are they similar, how they are different, and what does the transformation does to the protagonist?

Raymond Carver was a master of the short story during the mid nineteenth century due to his unique minimalistic style. Carver has his own artistic signature when it comes to writing, he tells his stories using the least amount of words possible to get a point across. This method leads to a creative piece of literature with strategically placed vocabulary to stimulate hidden meaning and different forms of communication throughout the plots as shown in

In literature, authors may get inspiration from real life events. For Raymond Carver, rather than writing about his own life, he wrote fictional stories, poems and books, but each can relate to his personal experiences. Alcohol plays a dominant part in Carver’s life, from child to adult. Due to this, his texts revolve around alcohol in some form, most often an alcoholic main character. Through Carver’s writing, he displays family tensions often as a result of alcoholism. Sara Kornfeld Simpson, instructor at Boston University, states that in Carver’s short stories “alcohol serves as a social lubricant that diminishes inhibitions, which allows hidden tensions and emotions to emerge.” (Simpson). Raymond Carver’s personal experience with alcoholism led him to create fictional texts that revolve around alcohol and have characters that may reflect his personal life, leading into his career as a writer.

“Cathedral”, by Raymond Carver, focuses on one main person, Robert who is a blind man. The story consists of three main characters: Robert the blind man, the husband and the wife. The story is written in third person, in the perspective of the husband. The story starts off with explaining how the wife was old acquaintances with Robert the blind man, the way Robert and the wife kept in touch was they would send tapes of them talking and updating them on what was going on in their life. Robert and had recently lost his wife, he was coming to visit the husband and wife for support. The husband was a bit uncomfortable as to Robert visiting and was unsure of the whole situation. When Robert arrives at their home, they have dinner and sit and catchup.

The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver depicts the social isolation experienced by an unnamed male narrator caused by his lack of empathy and understanding. The narrator’s short sighted opinions concerning his wife, her friend Robert, and Robert’s late wife, Beulah are what give insight into his character and the attitudes he possesses. “Cathedral” is told through the narrator’s informal and limited first-person perspective to emphasize the emotional divide between himself and those around him, while also echoing the author’s minute personal connection to the narrator.

This bitterness and sarcasm is revealed as strong characteristics of the narrator. Throughout the majority of the story, the narrator continues shows his distaste for any "happy" situation. Much like the hyphenated asides, Carver implements fragmented sentences behind description, to show the narrator pausing for a moment of color commentary.

   To a reader unfamiliar with his work, Raymond Carver's short story, "Little Things" may seem devoid of all literary devices owning to good writing. Fortunately, these people are mistaken. With his minimalistic style, it is what Carver doesn't write that makes his work so effective. Most of Carver's short stories describe situations that many people could find themselves in and that is why his work is so appealing to readers. They are not restricted to harsh explicative details or over-dramatized language, but are allowed to create their own rationale for the actions of the characters and the consequent results.

Edgar Allan Poe created many short stories that reflected the horrors and sadness in his life. Two short stories that were influenced by his past are “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado”. Edgar Allan Poe lived a very depressing and sad life which influenced him to create a unique voice in his writings. While Edgar Allan Poe was little both of his parents died leaving Poe with a foster father to take care of him. He was able to attend college for only a couple years then had to drop out due to debt. His father was displeased and refused to pay his debts due to Poe's alcoholism and gambling problem. Many loved ones died in Edgar Allan Poe’s life contributing and helping create his dark stories. Poe struggled with depression and resulted into alcohol which is also seen in some of his writings. Edgar Allan Poe creates a unique voice in his short story by using setting to develop the conflict, common theme, and characterization.