Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral" is not said to take place in a specific city, but we may infer that "Cathedral" likely happens somewhere in New York. At the story's open, the narrator remarks that "[Robert] was visiting...relatives in Connecticut" and that "he would come by train, a five hour trip" to visit the narrator and his wife (paragraph 1). This implies that the narrator and his wife live within a five hour radius of Connecticut. Later over dinner, some of the group's small-talk revolves around New York:
"Then I wanted to say something else, small-talk, about the scenic ride along the Hudson. How going to New York, you should sit on the right-hand side of the train, and coming from New York, the left-hand side" (paragraph 24).
The implication that the story takes place in New York matches the story's theme of how perceptions of reality may be relative even in a quiet and dull area. New York is typified as an artistic and free place, and even though the narrator and his wife live in the suburbs, the artistic nature of the city may have an influence on their evening with Robert.
No comments:
Post a Comment