There are various characters that people portray, whether in a formal or even informal organization. The two stories, “The Jewelry” by Guy de Maupassant and the Cathedral by Raymond Carver show a lot of similarities in various ways. Although the two stories were written at different times, with different characters and even environment, they possess a lot of similar themes and ideas, which are shown through the characters.
Two major characters are presented by both stories. In the Cathedral, the anonymous narrator and Robert are shown as people with two different personalities, while in the Jewelry, we have Latain, who is another character, close to the narrator in the story Cathedral. The narrator in the Cathedral shows a lot of selfishness, as well as Latain in the story Jewelry. The two men are shown as people who are self-centered, and who only think of themselves. The two men have a lot of interests in their lives than the people around them. M. latain does not consider his wife, but he is rather worried about his happiness, he doesn’t take his wife to the movies, but rather advises her to go with her friends to the movies. The narrator on the other side is worried that his wife is having an affair with Robert, the blind man.
Another trait shown by the two me is the way they undermine the other people around them. They think that they are the only individuals who have the ability to do things and even perform certain tasks. M. Latain believes that his wife wears fake jewelry, and so he always advises her to remove them or just buy the original jewelry. The narrator on the other side considers himself a genius, a person who can do anything. He undermines Robert because he is blind, without knowing that Robert can draw, and even see. Robert shows his drawing talent which comes as a surprise to the narrator (Carver 3).
The two stories also show men who do not show mercy to the dead, or even, they forget so fast and switch to other activities. M. Latain remarries, just months after his wife dies. He forgets about his wife when he becomes rich, he remarries and starts to enjoy life just like before. He dines in the larger restaurants and shows off by telling people that he is more comfortable that they think, or than he looks. The narrator, on the other side, does not show mercy to the wife of Robert, who dies, as she was going to see her relatives. He seems to enjoy after they have smoked Marijuana and even taken some beer (Rissa 2).
The way the main characters behave and interact with other people just shows how they do not respect the other people, but rather, they have an ego, and are always self-centered, which makes their relationship very hard. The narrator did not seem to enjoy the company of his wife to Robert, who was initially the employer of his wife. Although he didn’t want to go with her, he chose to follow her, as a means for security, because he was a frightened of the relationship the wife had with Robert. M. Latain on the other side was not also happy to be in the company of his wife, although he loved her, he used to tell her to go to the movies with her friends, so long as he shall see her at home. He was just egocentric and didn’t want to be seen with his wife, whom he thought used fake jewelry. The two men are also proud. The narrator draws a very clear drawing of the cathedral and Robert tells people how rich he was in the restaurants, till he became weak, and his wife left him. The most entertaining part of the two stories is the fact that the two men do not realize that the people around them are smarter than them.
Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral, 1981
RissaK, “Guy De Maupassant- the Jewelry- Journal 1”, January 17, 2011 (http://wwweng131rissajournal.blogspot.co.ke/2011/01/guy-de-maupassant-jewelry.html)
