Stereotypes In 'Cathedral' By Raymond Carver

Although the term stereotype was brought into English in the 20th century, now it is widely used everywhere. Generally stereotypes are simplified images or thoughts of a certain kind of person or thing. Usually a person who has stereotypes characterizes and then categorizes people by their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or physical appearances. Stereotypes have a negative impact on people who are engaging it. The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver along with “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexie show those negative impacts of stereotypes that not only affect the victims of stereotyping but also change the characters’ personality negatively. The main characters in both stories dismiss and judge others based on their own perceptions about different types of people but in the end they realize that because of having the stereotypes so deep-rooted in their minds caused them trouble accepting the reality. Although these two stories are different, there’s one thing that they both contain. They both deal with characters that misjudge other people. The main character in “Cathedrals” is a perfect example of how the stereotypes can affect a person and his/her personality. The narrator wasn’t happy about the visitor, his wife’s old friend coming to stay with them for a few days. He found

The main character William, Spokane Indian salesman lives in America with his family. While traveling to the airport he meets the taxi driver with whom he shares his story and listens to the driver’s one. At first William is skeptical and doesn’t believe the driver named Fekadu. The tragic story William hears from the driver, who tells him how he had to leave his family forces William to open his eyes. The story deals with a huge problem of stereotypes and racism. William himself faces racism and the negative comments about it. However, he ignores the remarks by laughing about