Raymond Carver 1938 - 1988

Brief Biography Born in 1938 in Clatskanie, OR Father alcoholic; he was also an alcoholic (familiar pattern?) Working class family (father worked at sawmill and mother was a waitress) Married high school sweetheart, but divorced later in life after he became sober Moved to California after high school and worked lots of odd jobs, but returned to school and began to love writing (John Gardner was his prof) His severe alcoholism had him in and out of hospitals his whole life. Died from lung cancer in 1988 at age 50 (not suicide!)

Dirty Realism and Carver’s Style Dirty Realism is a term coined in the 1980s when lots of writers like Carver, Bobbie Ann Mason, Richard Ford, and others started writing a lot about ordinary people doing ordinary things. Carver and other Dirty Realists often employ a Hemingway-esque style of simple and direct writing, realistic dialogue, minimal and direct descriptions. The term isn’t used as much today, but “Cathedral” is one of the best example sof this style. Zero endings – stories that don’t tie up loose ends and just kind of…end.

Characters: Narrator (unnamed); Robert (blind guy); Narrator’s Wife (unnamed) Why are two of the main characters unnamed? Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Setting: Narrator’s house Point of view: first person Why is the point of view important? Themes/Symbols/Motifs: alcohol, the cathedral, looking vs. seeing, art as a vehicle for enlightenment; compassion Others? What is the dominant theme of this story? “Cathedral” (1983)

Some Questions Describe the narrator. Why is only Robert named in the story? Describe how relationships work in this story. Why does the wife leave them alone? What epiphany does the narrator have at the end? Do you like how this story leaves a lot up to your own interpretation at the end? How could it have ended differently? How would a different ending impact the success of the story?