Reading Response #1

Marlena Szumowski

En-102

Reading response #1)

                These three short stories all describe the relationships of a man and a woman. It’s not necessary a physical relationship but also a friendship that may have formed within. The authors of these short stories all have a message about the romantic kind of relationship, and a friendship.

              
 In the short story “Dubliners” by James Joyce, he write about a young man that met a woman. They have eventually became intimate with each other but after a little while they have seemed to break of the intimacy and remained friends, that didn’t last long. James says “Love between man and man is impossible because there must be not sexual intercourse and friendship between man and woman is impossible because there must be sexual intercourse.” This line from the short story basically sums up James view point on friendship. What is means is that to be in love with someone that would be impossible without being sexually involved with the other person. Same as the friendship, he doesn’t see the point of a friendship because to him that too also involves being sexually involved.

                Not everything has to be sexually related and this can be seen in the short story “Cathedral” by Carver Raymond. “Bub” and his wife are expecting the company of Robert who was an elderly man whose wife just passed away. Bubs wife used to work and help the elderly man around 10 years ago. Bub didn’t seem too happy about having Robert over. He also seemed kind of annoyed because his wife talks quite often with him and also still remains in touch with the old man. Later that night after Bubs wife had fallen asleep, Bub and Robert looked as if they had really connected. The two men started to have a conversation about religion and Robert was curious as to what a Cathedral looks like. The two men sat on the floor with Bub drawing and Roberts hand on his following along. I think this was a great short story of both, physical relationship and a friendship. The physical relationship played a role in this because it was necessary for Robert to have his hand on Bubs hand as he was drawing to really try and understand what a Cathedral may possibly look like. Bubs wife was a link between their friendships, I feel that Bub saw how much Robert had an effect on his wife and then he too started to get an understanding of this blind man and a liking to him.