The Theme Of Hosting In Cathedral And The Guest By Albert Camus
Hosting can be quite a delightful and memorable experience, however there is a lot of stress and planning that comes along with it. Hosting is a theme that is represented throughout a multitude of pieces of literature. This essay will be comparing a couple of those literary works; Cathedral by Raymond Carver and The Guest by Albert Camus, both of which depict the ups and downs of having guests over, highlighting the differences and similarities of hosting. The role of a host is to welcome and accommodate their guest, even if unwanted, by providing them with a comfortable environment, food and lodging, all the while respecting their boundaries and norms.
In the story Cathedral, the guest who is coming over, Robert, is somewhat unwanted by the
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One night, a prisoner is brought over to Daru’s home and asked to watch over and brought to the prison the next morning. Daru is extremely opposed to the idea of having a criminal in his home overnight, but begrudgingly agrees. He makes tea for the man who brought the Arab and the Arab himself, but notices his hands are tied and suggests that “He might perhaps be untied.” (Camus 4). Once Daru learned that the crime committed by the prisoner was murder, “[he] felt a sudden wrath against the man, against all men with their rotten spite, their tireless hates, their blood lust” (Camus 5). Although Daru was appalled by what this man had done, he still treated him as any good host would. He began by preparing food for this guest even before his own, then “He brought a folding bed from the shed, set it up between the table and the stove, perpendicular to his own bed.” (Camus 8). Daru made sure the Arab would be as comfortable as possible for the night, even though he did not like the idea that a criminal was staying under his roof. This guest is treated as though he were invited over, even though he was not wanted there. Daru is a good host and a good person though, he treats a criminal with respect and provides him with proper
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1375 Words | 6 PagesThe unnamed narrator does not see Robert, the blind man, as a person, but as someone different. The grandmother, on the other hand, believes in her appearance and belief that is better than other people. After the challenges they both face, they end up finding enlightenment. In “Cathedral,” the narrator was not certain on how to describe the Cathedral to Robert. The narrator resorts to drawing and with a pen in his hand, he had realized that Robert “closed his hand over my hand” and asks the narrator to “close your eyes” as they drew the Cathedral (75-76).
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Ignorance And Preconceptions In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
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Prejudice In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
727 Words | 3 PagesIn the story, the narrator’s narrow mindset is challenged over and over again as Robert breaks most stereotypes that the narrator held. As these stereotypes are broken, the narrator begins to feel more comfortable with Robert, and sincerely tells him that he is “glad for the company”. This release from prejudice culminates in the cathedral drawing scene of the story, where the narrator finally lets go of his bias towards blind people. Once the narrator closes his eyes, he is seemingly equal to Robert, and he consequently begins to understand Robert’s perspective. His newfound empathy towards Robert demonstrates how he has lost his prejudice towards him.
The Theme Of Epiphany In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
860 Words | 4 PagesWith this, readers could sense that the narrator is jealous, grouchy, and angry that Robert’s presence affects the narrator’s wife because of the connection between both the wife and Robert. The author prepares readers for the enlightenment when Robert came for a visit and that is how cathedral came about. The narrator explains, “The TV showed this one cathedral” (110). In this scene, the narrator and Robert bonded about the appearance of the cathedral. Instantly, the narrator says to Robert, “Do you have any idea what a cathedral is?
The Cause Of Conflict In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
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Raymond Carver Cathedral Summary
528 Words | 3 PagesHe takes note of the simple things, like the awkward silence at dinner, where “we ate everything there was to eat on the table,” (Carver 45), and how they “got up from the table and left the dirty plates,” (Carver 45). Nothing too exciting happens, aside the narrator, when he “asked if he wanted to smoke some dope with me,” (Carver 55). Carver creates a very relatable story that mainly showcases ordinary people doing ordinary things. Although seeming to be anticlimactic for the majority of the story, these dull moments lead to a very important event. Robert and the narrator sit on the couch after the wife has fallen asleep, watching TV, when a documentary about cathedrals comes on.
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