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Raymond Carver Cathedral

505 Words3 Pages

"Cathedrals" by Raymond Carver is a short story that explores the themes of loneliness, isolation, and the search for meaning in life. The story is told from the perspective of a narrator who is traveling with his wife to visit a friend and the cathedral in a foreign country. Through the description of the cathedral, Carver creates a metaphor for the narrator's own internal struggles and his journey towards finding personal fulfillment. The thesis of this essay is that the cathedral in "Cathedrals" serves as a symbol of the narrator's inner turmoil and represents his quest for meaning and purpose in life. This thesis is supported by two key elements of the story: the narrator's emotional state and the description of the cathedral. The narrator in "Cathedrals" is depicted as a lonely and isolated individual who is struggling to find meaning and purpose in life. Throughout the story, he is described as feeling disconnected from his wife and from the world around him. This emotional state is reflected in his descriptions of the cathedral, which serve as a metaphor for his internal struggles. For example, when he first sees the cathedral, he describes it as "huge and dark and very still," which symbolizes his own sense of emptiness and isolation. …show more content…

The cathedral is depicted as a place of beauty and wonder, but also as a place of mystery and uncertainty. The narrator is drawn to the cathedral because of its grandeur, but he is also intimidated by it, and he is left feeling unsure of its meaning. This reflects the narrator's own struggles to understand his place in the world and to find personal

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