Short Stories!

     This past week we have read two short stories and I feel that they have brought up a few interesting points that should be discussed.  The first short story we read was Cathedral and it was about a blind man who visits a married couple after his wife dies.  The second story was Everyday Use, which is about one girl's battle with embracing her heritage.  Firstly, I would like to comment on the writing styles of both of these pieces.  I found them refreshing because they were very simple and to the point.  In Cathedral, the author repeated the key words and used choppy sentences, which I felt was effective in conveying the emotions.  The author of Everyday Use was able to capture emotion as well, using clear description that painted the picture in my head.

     Now, in regard to Cathedral, the message the author was trying to get across is an important one.  Unfortunately, this lesson cannot be taught, but has to be experienced by all for the full understanding.  This main point was that there is a difference between seeing things and actually seeing and experiencing things.  For example, the blind man in this story was able to experience the cathedral through his imagination and feeling the husband's hand as he drew.  Sometimes people need to step back and close their eyes and realize the beauty of life.  I feel that it goes back to the idea of taking things for granted and not realizing the simplicity of life.

     Almost similarly, Everyday Use's main message was figuring out the balance of being proud of where a person comes from.  There are, of course, two extremes and a balance and I think that this story focuses on the change of extremities over time.  The daughter of the narrator, Dee, started off as a person completely against her heritage, wanting to get out of her house as soon as possible.  Then after going away for some time, which is her way of stepping back, she decides to embrace her heritage by wanting to take all the precious heirlooms out of the narrator's house and to display them.  But why not use them and enjoy them for what they are worth?  I personally feel using heirlooms shows their importance more than just displaying them.  Obviously if the item is too fragile it would be a different story, however I feel the message of this story is also clear.