MICRO-THEME # 5: Elements of Narration
Raymond Carver, “Cathedral”
Choose one of the short stories from our readings for the past week – Raymond Carver, “Cathedral”.
“Fiction Essentials Part 1,” briefly answer the following questions in three or four well-developed paragraphs. Where possible, give quotations and page references for passages that illustrate or support your answers.
Is the narrative perspective MAINLY first-person, third-person limited, third-person “objective,” or third-person omniscient (or some perspective in between or combination / alternation of perspectives)?
Who is the protagonist of the story?
Where is the climax of the story? For our purposes in this class, we are defining the “climax” as that moment (as described by Flannery O’Connor) in which the story’s protagonist performs “some gesture . . . that is unlike any other in the story, one which indicates where the real heart of the story lies.” This gesture (again using O’Connor’s words) should seem “both totally right and totally unexpected,” and should indicate some internal shift in that character. Remember that this climax will occur at a very specific moment; if possible, quote the exact sentence in which you believe it occurs, and support your claim.
Who or what in the story serves as a catalyst for the change that ultimately occurs in the protagonist?
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Demonstrate an understanding of the basic categories of narrative analysis: protagonist; climax; catalyst; first-person, third-person limited, third-person objective, and third-person omniscient points of view.
Write in well-developed analytical paragraphs.
