The other reading that resonate with the writing style of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara. Both the stories uses first person narrative. They are narrated by a single character who talk about their experiences. Furthermore, the writing style of Carver is similar to that of Bambara since both the writers uses simple, day to day language. In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara our narrator, Sylvia, who lives in a poor neighborhood uses simple language to talk about her experiences, as she learns about the economical equality and social injustice face by her people. “So we heading down the street and she’s boring us silly about what things cost and what our parents make and how much goes for rent and how money ain’t divided up right in this country” (Bambara.) Sylvia uses day to day language to narrate the situation, and avoids using complex vocabulary. In this sentence, she repeatedly uses the word “and” which means the writing seem like a regular conversation. “She wanted to talk. They talked. He asked her to send him a tape and tell him about her life. She did this. She sent the tape. On the tape, she told the blind man she loved her husband but she didn’t like it where they lived and she didn’t like it that he was a part of the military-industrial thing” (Carver.) In this narration of a conversation/memory between the wife and the blind man the author writes in a way that makes it seem like the narrator is having a conversation with a friend.
5 thoughts on “Doma Gurung Discussion 13”
Your opinion was very clear. Indeed, both stories do a great job of using first-person narration to convey a personal perspective and experience. The conversational and approachable language gives each piece an intimate and empathetic feel. It’s a nice parallel that shows how both Carver and Bambara rely on everyday speech and imagery to make their personal points of view clear and well-presented.The straightforward first-person narrative effectively draws us into the protagonist’s world. It will expand our imagination.
Doma, this is a very interesting response to the prompt. Instead of contrasting styles, as most readers (including myself) might automatically do, you have drawn a very insightful and detailed comparison of the ordinary language styles of Carver and Bambara. Very thoughtful.
Doma, this is a good comparison with the reader using simple and straightforward language , much like the style in “the lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, both Carver and Bambara’s stories delve into the complexities of human relationships and societal issues through the lens of their respective characters. In “Cathedral,” carver explores the theme of perception and human connection through the character’s interactions, while in “The lesson, Bambara tackles themes of economic inequality and social injustice through the eyes of sylvia.
The language used in Carver’s and Bambara’s stories, Doma, is clear-cut and uncomplicated, similar to Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson.” They explore societal concerns and human interactions, with Carver’s “Cathedral” focusing on perception and human connection, and Bambara’s “The Lesson” tackling social injustice and economic inequity.
Hey Doma, I agree with you both story are easy to understand because they are daily use to language but i think they should put some new vocablurey so it can be intrested to people what you think about that. Yeah i know sometimes it is hard to understand if there is not susoense and something new people will not read the story.