The title of the post, it almost sounds like the setup to the joke? Change the location to a bar, and you'd be expecting a laugh. But, that's actually the setup to Raymond Carter's "Cathedral." The story itself, was interesting, and it really makes one think upon reading it.
What was most interesting to me was the characterization and point of view. This story takes place mainly through the eyes and in the head of the unnamed protagonist. Raymond Carter's style in this story really pays off, for the presentation of the story is very "stream of consciousness." By that I mean it looks like you're viewing the character's thoughts in real time. His thought process is choppy and filled with non sequitrs, much like the human thought process. This does jar the reader, or at least it did to me, on the initial read through, but on another one can acclimate to it and get into the near-perfect stream of thought.
But the character himself, he's a rotten, horrible human being really. He's a cynic, a bigot, and really (for lack of a better term) just and all around asshole. He's in a pretty much loveless marriage where he can't understand the basic things that makes his wife happy. He's callous and cold to his guest, a blind man to boot who seems like a friendly and stand up guy from the get go. And is there really any growth of character by the end of the story? Maybe a little, but not enough to change him greatly I imagine. He's just one of those people you just learn to love to hate, and that's part of the story's appeal I believe.
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