Comparing “ Everyday Use ” , “ Sonny ’ s Blues ” and “ The Cathedral ” , one can reason that they portion a common significance. Although all three narratives consider poorness as their subject, each chooses to lucubrate it in a different mode. In fact, “ Everyday Use ” emphasizes on the province of utmost poorness in which certain people live. On the other manus, ” Sonny ’ s Blues ” contributes to the subject by depicting the poorness of spirit of Harlem ’ s “ interior childs ” . Carver ’ s “ The Cathedral ” , nevertheless, prefers to research the impression of poorness as a province of one ’ s mind instead than the environment in which one lives.
In “ Everyday Use ” , Alice Walker chooses to develop the thought of poorness by concentrating entirely on the environment in which her supporters live. Puting properties, such as the 1s used to depict the house in which the supporters reside, enables us to better understand the subject. In fact, the home does non even have any existent Windowss. Alternatively, it has holes cut in the sides, like the portholes of a ship, but non round and non square, with rawhide keeping the shutters up on the exterior. Then, Walker proceeds with inside description of the house as she points out that the supporters use benches for their table alternatively of chairs because they can non financially afford any. Further, the writer supports the subject by supplying us with some physical description of specific objects. The usage of comforters that “ Grandma Dee ” sewed from the garbages of her frock and the churn that Uncle Henry whittled from the wood is non derived from the supporters ’ purpose to continue “ household values ” but instead from a necessity to “ survive ” .
In “ Sonny ’ s Blues ” , the subject of poorness is characterized by the poorness of Harlem youth ’ s spirit. The writer points out that there is no bright hereafter for the Harlem childs. In fact, these male childs grow rushingly until they reach the tallness where they could no longer turn because their caputs “ suddenly bump against ” ( 5 ) the low ceiling of their existent possibilities. These male childs see no sense for their life, as there is nil that can actuate them to analyze and believe that they will really win:
They were filled with fury. All they truly knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives which was now shuting in on them, and the darkness of the films, which had blinded them to that other darkness and in which they now, revengefully, dreamed, at one time more together than they were at any other clip, and more entirely ( 5 )
Alternatively, their poorness of spirit transforms them into isolated, ”fierce animals” that are filled with utmost fury towards others. They no longer look like other childs, as even their laugher bears no joy but is mocking and insular, and intends to minimize others. Furthermore, the writer inquiries the utility of learning to these “spiritually hapless boys” . Since their hereafters are so hopeless, there is small benefit of learning to them. In fact, there is no intent for the storyteller “talking approximately algebra to childs that may all starting off acerate leafs every clip they went to the caput. Maybe it did more for them than the algebra could.” ( 4 )
In “ the Cathedral ” , Carver chooses to research a wholly different facet of poorness. Contrary to “ Everyday Use ” and “ Sonny ’ s Blues ” , Carver interprets the impression of poorness as a province of one ’ s head. In fact, Bub reveals his shockable personality after he portions with us his ideas sing unsighted people. Bub ’ s merely thought of sightlessness came from films. In film, Bub noticed that the blind normally move easy and ne’er laugh. Sometimes, they are led by a seeing-eye Canis familiaris. By depicting Bub ’ s merely thought of sightlessness, the writer shows that Bub is an uneducated and crude person. Consequently, it leads Bub to a bias towards the blind, as he concludes that a unsighted adult male in his house is non something he looks frontward to. In add-on, the poorness of Bub ’ s mind transforms him into a stereotyped person which consequences in his involuntariness to understand Robert ’ s life: “ They ’ vitamin D married, lived and worked together, kip together … All this without holding even seen what the goddamn adult female looked like. It was beyond my understanding … and so I found myself believing what a pathetic life this adult female must hold led ” ( 16 ) . It is impossible for Bub to understand Robert ’ s felicity with Beulah because it is different from the felicity that he has with his ain married woman.
The impression of poorness has a really expanded significance. Although all three narratives use poorness as their subject, each interprets it otherwise. Consequently, it does non needfully intend the province of utmost wretchedness that has been described in “ Everyday Use ” . As Carver points out, poorness may mention to poorness of one ’ s head, which is caused chiefly by the deficiency of instruction and stereotyped personality. Finally, poorness may reflect the hopelessness of one ’ s head. Recognizing that no bright hereafter awaits them, Harlem childs find no sense in their lives. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of recognizing their full potency does non deduce from accomplishing criterions that are unattainable by others. Alternatively, it arises unambiguously from minimizing others, as the lone manner to be higher than person is to set this individual lower than you.
