Cathedral and A Small Good Thing by Raymond Carver both clearly depict the importance of communication between people.

Authors Avatar by ragu (student)
        Proper communication is an essential skill to have. Someone who does not have proper communication skills can find it harder to overcome conflicts with other people. Cathedral and A Small Good Thing by Raymond Carver both clearly depict the importance of communication between people. Communication can be thought of as such a simple, day-to-day skill, but in reality, it is one of the most useful tools to have. Carver uses dialogue and communication of emotions to show how communication with others is not only vital to our personal well-being, but the profound impact our communication can change the lives of others as well.        Being able to communicate emotions is essential. Both Cathedral and A Small Good Thing have characters that are unable to do this. In Cathedral, Bub has difficulty expressing his feelings. Even more, he does not even admit he has feelings, and as a result, he does not have a close relationship with his wife. He feels awkwardly about feelings, in general. His reaction to the heart warming, beautiful love story of Robert and Beulah was apathetic. In A Small Good Thing the baker is the character that has
Join now!
issues communicating his emotions. He is extremely abrupt throughout the majority of the story, and seems almost distant to any kind of emotion, so he comes across as abrupt with her. Neither Bub nor the baker is able to communicate their feelings in an effective manner. The character that can best communicate his feelings is Robert in Cathedral. Despite him being blind, he is jolly, understanding, and pleasant. It is as if he carries a sense of calm and wisdom about him. Neither of the other characters possesses these attributes.        Carver's choice of dialogue for his characters in Cathedral and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay