走出疏离走向融合——雷蒙德·卡佛小说《大教堂》的主题分析
豆瓣8.9《大教堂》｜卡佛笔下的极简主义、现实困境与意象运用
豆瓣8.9《大教堂》｜卡佛笔下的极简主义、现实困境与意象运用在朋友的推荐之下，我拜读了雷蒙德.卡佛的短篇小说《大教堂》。
在没阅读之前，我对卡佛的有关资料一无所知。
趁着这次阅读的机会，我才有幸得知在美国二十世纪下半叶，有着这样一位极简主义的代表。
他被誉为继海明威之后最具影响力的美国作家，行文简练，在修辞手法的运用方面吝啬无比。
因为描写的是美国蓝领阶层的真实现状，所以在当时经常遭受美国梦鼓吹者的抵制。
但无论世人怎样看待，这位其貌不扬的短篇小说大家在他的创作生涯中始终保持着自己的特色。
1983年，《大教堂》短篇小说集问世，成为了他创作的巅峰。
《大教堂》中的短篇小说依旧淋漓尽致地体现着他简约的写法，依旧不厌其烦地描写着美国底层群众的现实困顿。
今天，我将以与这部短篇小说合集同名的短篇小说《大教堂》为例，解读卡佛笔下的极简主义，现实困境，并分析他在文中对意象的运用。
1、相较于之前来说的慷慨，难逃的极简主义尽管卡佛本人被誉为美国极简主义大师，但他本人却相当抵触这一说法。
1983年《大教堂》发表之后，不少文学评论家都在此中看见了卡佛本人对于突破极简风格的努力。
他在《大教堂》中的描写，难得地被人用“慷慨”二字来形容，但无论如何，这部短篇小说从头到尾都依旧充斥着卡佛的极简笔法。
①选材的简单，意蕴的丰富《大教堂》讲述了主人公“我”的妻子邀请认识长达十多年的盲人朋友来家中作客，我与盲人在看电视的过程中恰好碰上电视解说员在介绍各国的大教堂，于是盲人拜托“我”为他介绍大教堂具体样貌的故事。
无论从哪个角度去看，全文描写的无非就是日常生活的琐事，用一句话总结即为“妻子的盲人朋友到我家做客的经历”。
这样的描写内容符合卡佛一贯的调性，他十分擅长把美国蓝领阶层的生活摆到明面上，用笔记录这些看似无足轻重的琐碎日常。
但他简单的选材背后却波涛汹涌，直击底层人物生活的矛盾。
他揭露的矛盾，是底层群众在精神上的自我隔离。
《大教堂》中的妻子与前夫虽是青梅竹马，却仍然感觉在灵魂上没有共同语言，于是她最终服药，试图自杀，离婚后嫁给了“我”。
雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》中的焦虑与空间建构
摘要世纪是位美国短篇说家和诗人，在20七八蒙·卡佛（1938-1988）一小雷德年代他五部短篇说集为美国短篇说的复兴做出极贡献教堂》十，小小大。
《大的年为其第部短篇集侧映主公们情精说重反人感焦虑和神交流（1983）三小，，极平静，着与其它作相比品，少了些阴郁和束缚。
此外，《大教堂》以为的笔触描写他们的家庭困境和的挣扎，对内反映出卡佛战眼根阶层的日常生活，心于草后美国社会中困惑的人们的关注因为卡佛是这迷茫们中员些的人的，也一。
兰克和·米克约瑟·弗戴维篇论合·佐兰的空模型间，夫本文旨在结加百利从教堂中尔的空间亨·斐三列伏尔的空间元性等理论,《大》本森文思想以及利选出五个事论个层次的空间建构，以阐明《大教堂》如何呈现主角反复出故讨三好事》中的文保》，《小心》和《一小件章研第究《鲜现的焦虑感。
首先，二了作或相同，非性情节中建在线故事在这个故事中，者使用重复的意象空。
三本间章火包厢》第论《车立的焦虑感，以达到连贯和强调的目的。
其次，三讨了起统一而火包厢是外部世界和主角之间的隐喻界，大和《大教堂》内的地志空间。
车边神与焦虑交。
疏离、精交流的顿悟交了本则超它的文，成为流的象征教堂越存在第四章从社会空间的角度考察之地志在。
最后，了织在起，一使与结构联系起一火包厢》、《鲜保》、《小心》、《发烧》和《大教堂》中主角与同伴的几《车他们的以及内离异妻关系和陌生关系），心种关系（父子关系，夫妻关系，夫人焦虑。
感读者呈工和活中为现日常作生直，了本论文的论是结：卡佛用朴素白的语言从根上说，小焦。
本卡佛在短篇说中刻画从主人公直面现代生活的暗潮涌的虑汹启者思残酷和人生的孤独，呼同时邀请读者聆听主他们绝望和焦虑的唤，发读考该如何到拯救自己自己内的教堂，找心大。
佛教堂间根层焦卡虚构空草阶虑关词：键雷蒙德·，《大》，，，CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (ii)ABSTRACT (iii)摘要 (v)CONTENTS (vi)CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION (1)1.1A Brief Introduction to Raymond Carver and Cathedral (1)1.2A Review of Relevant Literature (2)1.3Thesis Statement and Research Questions (4)1.4Related Theories (5)1.4.1Three Levels of Structuring Space by Gabriel Zoran (5)1.4.2Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen’s Ideas of Textual Space (6)1.4.3Social Space:Henri Lefebvre’s Spatial Triad (7)1.4.4Anxiety (8)1.5Significance of the research (9)1.6Analysis Procedure (10)CHAPTER TWO ANXIETY OVER LOSING CONTROL:ANALYSIS OF TEXTUAL SPACE (11)2.1Repetition:Image of Failure in“Careful” (11)2.2Repetition:Image of Stasis in“Preservation” (14)2.3Juxtaposition of Present and Past:Image of Personal Plight (16)2.4Summary (18)CHAPTER THREE ANXIETY OVER THE UNKNOWN:ANALYSIS OF TOPOGRAPHICAL SPACE (20)3.1“The Compartment”:The Wall and Isolation (20)3.2“Cathedral”:The Home and Spiritual Cathedral (23)3.3Summary (26)CHAPTER FOUR STRANDED SOCIAL INTERCOURSE:ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL SPACE (27)4.1Distracted Father-son Relationship in“The Compartment” (27)4.2Marital Dilemma in“Preservation”and“Careful” (29)4.3Separated Husband in“Fever” (32)4.4An Anxious Host in“Cathedral” (35)4.5Summary (37)CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION (39)WORKS CITED (44)CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION1.1A Brief Introduction to Raymond Carver and CathedralRaymond Carver(1938—1988),in full Raymond Clevie Carver,is an American short-story writer and poet whose realistic writings about the working poor mirrored his own life.Carver was the son of a sawmill worker.He married a year after finishing high school and supported his wife and two children by working as a janitor,gas-station attendant,and delivery man.He became seriously interested in a writing career after taking a creative-writing course at Chico State College (now California State University,Chico)in1958.In spite of average classroom execution from grade school through college,Carver acquired an unquenchable and deep-rooted reading addiction.Reading was one approach to escape the capriciousness of life with a debilitated,alcoholic father and a supportive mother,an example Carver would copy in his own marriage(Chad457).Carver initially declared his intent of becoming a playwright as a teenager,whilst on a chasing trek with a family companion,and he followed through on his statement.Registering in the Palmer Scheme,a mail-order composition program,Raymond finished the course prerequisites in a way that proposed his jaded school execution was the consequence of weariness as opposed to feeble aptitude.His short stories began to appear in magazines while he studied at Humboldt State College(now Humboldt State University)in Arcata,California(B.A.,1963).Carver’s first success as a writer came in1967with the story“Will You Please Be Quiet,Please?”and he began writing full-time after losing his job as a textbook editor in1970.The highly successful short-story collection Will You Please Be Quiet,Please?(1976)established his reputation.Carver began drinking heavily in1967and was repeatedly hospitalized for alcoholism in the1970s,while continuing to produce short stories.After surmounting his drinking problem in the late1970s,he taught for several years at the University of Texas at El Paso and at Syracuse University,and in1983he won a literary award whose generous annual stipend freed him to again concentrate on his writing full-time.His later short-story collections were What We Talk About When We Talk About Love(1981),Cathedral(1984),and Where I’m Calling From(1988). While his short stories were what made his critical reputation,he was also anaccomplished poet in the realist tradition of Robert Frost.Carver’s poetry collections include At Night the Salmon Move(1976),Where Water Comes Together with Other Water(1985),and Ultramarine(1986).In the short stories Carver chronicled the everyday lives and problems of the working poor in the Pacific Northwest.His blue-collar characters are crushed by broken marriages,financial problems,and failed careers,but they are often unable to understand or even articulate their own anguish.Cathedral(1984),without exception,inherits Carver’s aforementioned tradition of,in account of trivial everyday life,giving voice to those ordinary people with whom Carver have“worked with and earned my living beside,for years”(qtd.in Mccaffery242).For instance,the divorced old couple who try so hard to revel in the old-time memory of living together in“Chef’s House”,the unemployed husband who has been a couch potato for months in“Preservation”,etc.The language in these twelve short stories hold the pared-down quality with straightforward description of the plot,which renders readers a sense of isolation and frustration.They can, meanwhile,play a crucial role in presenting Carver’s inner struggle as well as the anxious atmosphere in real American society in1980s.1.2A Review of Relevant LiteratureMultitudinous studies have been done on Raymond Carver and his works since the publication of Will You Please Be Quiet,Please?in1983.Researchers abroad have concentrated on masculinity or the epiphanic awakening in Carver’s“Cathedral”and“A Small Good Thing”,while most of the Chinese scholars have focused on the narrative strategies and thematic analysis from different perspectives.Criticisms AbroadDifferent stories in Cathedral have been examined over the past few decades. Chris Bullock(1994)analyzes how Carver portrays“the masculine ego through the metaphor of architecture”in one of Carver’s most acclaimed short stories,“Cathedral”.He claimed that a glimpse of masculinity could be seen by moving toward the unconscious,the recognition of death,empathy with others, acknowledgement of the value of the dimension of spirit,and acceptance of the aid of the feminine.Vanessa Hall(2009)supports his claim in The Journal of Men’s Studies by stating that Carver’s stories portray a more hopeful,constructive version ofmasculinity at odds with the traditional or hopelessly embattled versions of masculinity still dominating representations of masculinity in American culture. Laurie Champion(1997)chooses to unveil the silence in“Feathers”in an attempt to interpret the perplexed ending of the story.In his seminar paper,Andreas Wirag (2008)analyzes the other two stories“A Small,Good Thing”and“Cathedral”by applying fairly identical patterns to depict the characters“Bud”and“The Baker”and their development.He concludes that not only the individual character’s design is remarkably similar,but also the preconditions for change,the process of development itself and the result of the particular conversion they undergo.William Young(2017)asserts that the title story“Cathedral”reflects the possibility for connection and of transcendence.He concludes his article by acknowledging that the ending of“Cathedral”transforms the domestic space in the text and reaches the frontier landscape.Similarly,Polly Rose Peterson(2012)also subscribes to this argument and concedes that situating readers in a close relationship with the narrator and forcing them to view the world from the narrator’s perspective render readers a series of epiphanies,effectively conveying the story’s central message on‘blindness’and spiritual awakening(167).As is mentioned above,the scholarly criticism abroad flourish in the interpretation of one single story or several stories.However,no publication has been done to provide a more comprehensive outlook of Cathedral,which is cardinal in terms of the anatomy of Carver’s idiosyncrasy.Criticisms in ChinaDifferent perspectives have been utilized to analyze Raymond Carver’s Cathedral in China.Qiu Xiaoqing(2001)discusses in her article Carver’s view of fiction and the symbolism in Cathedral.In Raymond Carver’s Short Fiction in the History of Black Humor(2006),Zhou Jingqiong analyzes Carver’s black humor and the psycho-social implications of his short fiction and discovers the complexity with which simple words function;she also contextualizes the thematic and stylistic common ground for modernist,postmodernist,and neo-realist fiction in her paper “Raymond Carver’s Short Fiction vs.Black Humor”(2017),to focus on Carver’sBlack humor.Tang Weisheng(2011)examines the open-ending of Carver’s stories and finds out the open-endednesss is also a matter of historical choice.Li Xing(2014) interprets Cathedral with Foucault’s power-discourse theory and contends that the working-class characters of Cathedral,whom Raymond Carver dares to speak up for, are under the ubiquitous power environment.Deng Qianqian(2017),on the other hand,grasps the implied reader in Cathedral with the help of Wolfgang Iser’s Reader-response theory in order to show that Cathedral is one of the representative masterpieces of Raymond Carver’s dirty realist style.As to the narrative strategy,Lin Qiao(2018)applies the dream narrative to reveal the social dilemma faced by contemporary Americans.Researchers both abroad and at home focus on masculinity,thematic studies and narrative strategies.Insightful and thought-provoking as their studies are,some points are still missed by those researchers.Although“Cathedral”and“A Small Good Thing”have been thoroughly examined,other stories in Cathedral deserve the same amount of scholarly attention.What is more,the spatiality manifested in Cathedral and its relationship with anxiety have not been touched upon.In other words,based on the literature review at home and abroad,this thesis has found no systematic interpretation of Cathedral from the perspective of space theory.Furthermore,it is this recurring sense of anxiety taking on multifaceted forms in the stories that makes Cathedral thematically unified and distinctive.Some critics notice this component yet does not elaborate on it.Therefore,the study of three levels of structuring space and this recurring sense of anxiety and is of significance.1.3Thesis Statement and Research QuestionsThis thesis aims at discussing three levels of structuring space in seven selected stories from Cathedral(1983)in order to illustrate how the recurring sentiment expressed by Carver’s characters-the sense of anxiety,is portrayed.With the assistance of Gabriel Zoran’s model of space theory,Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen’s ideas of textual space as well as Henri Lefebvre’s spatial triad in social space,the thesis is to elaborate on this feature within the topographical level,thetextual level and social level,thus revealing the relationship between the fictional space and the sentiment.Research QuestionsThe research questions are as follows:1.How is the recurring sense of anxiety portrayed in Carver’s stories?2.What is the relationship between the fictional space and this sentiment?1.4Related Theories1.4.1Three Levels of Structuring Space by Gabriel ZoranSince the spatial turn in the late20th century on literary criticism,valuable works about the function of space have been produced.Lefebvre’s The Production of Space (1991)and Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space(1994)have exerted significant influence on the development of space theories.In the field of narratology,Seymour Chatman discriminated between story-space and discourse-space in his Story and Discourse(1978).Moreover,the role of space in narration is specially mentioned by Mieke Bal in Narratology(1978).Gabriel Zoran’s“Toward a Theory of Space in Narrative”(1984), however,provides perhaps the most valuable and practical model for the structuring of space within the narrative text.Zoran’s conception of space is based on the reconstructed world derived from language.In his opinion,the space in the narrative text could be divided into three levels,that is,the topographical space,the chronotopic space and the textual space.These three levels of space are the different levels of the reconstructed world and could not be separated.The topographical level:The word“topography”literally means the physical appearance of a particular area of land,especially the shape of its surface;however, the topographical level of structuring space,according to Zoran,is not limited to the direct description of some topographical structure.Instead,narrative,dialogue,or even essay can attribute to the reconstruction of the topographical structure as well (316),while in the meantime any specific movement or direction in the topographical structure is free of limitation.The chronotopic level:Originally taken by Russian scholar M.M.Bakhtin,the chronotope means how configurations of time and space are represented in language and discourse,including objects,events,psychology,history and so on. According to Zoran,however,the chronotope does not include the totality of time and space,but only signifies movement and actions of the narrative,encompassing synchronic relations(characters’motion/rest)and diachronic relations.At every synchronic situation,some objects move and others at rest(318).The textual level:Structuring space in the textual level means the organization of the reconstructed world,including the selectivity of language.What is more,Zoran proposes the concept of here-and-there point of view,but unable to further elaborate on these two terms.Therefore,this thesis will borrow the ideas of structuring textual space from Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen so as to complete a detailed and thorough investigation of Raymond Carver’s Cathedral.1.4.2Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen’s Ideas of Textual SpaceIn1945,Joseph Frank published the first version of his essay on spatial form in the Sewanee Review and compiled it later into a work called The Idea of Spatial Form(1991).Taking his cue from Sergei Eisenstein,Frank observes that the juxtaposition of disparate images in a cinematic montage automatically creates a synthesis of meaning between them,which supersedes any sense of temporal discontinuity.Frank builds his thesis further with Djuna Barnes’s Nightwood.Since the selection of details in Nightwood does not follow the logic of verisimilitude but is governed by a system of symbolic overtones that express the essence of a character in an image,he approaches the book spatially rather than temporally,and concludes that “these chapters are knit together,not by the progress of any action...but by the continual reference and cross-reference of images and symbols which must be referred to each other spatially throughout the time-act of reading”(34).Frank’s idea of spatial form inevitably strikes an immediate chord with David Mickelsen’s mechanisms of juxtaposition and repetition.In“Types of Spatial Structure in Narrative”(1981)Mickelsen points out that the reader perceives the continuing presentness of events through juxtaposition.What is more,the repetition or the same image for coherence and emphasis builds a sense of unity among thefragments while at the same time suggesting that time is not progressing or that it is going in circles.Because of this circularity,spatial-form narratives are only ended, not concluded,since possible increments are infinite(73).David Mickelsen’s argument also implies an understanding of non-linearity of existence.His idea of spatial structure acknowledges that the events in an organic conception of life are not so much recognizable as random and simultaneous(77).In his essay,he suggests that “spatial-form novels are not carrots,growing cumulatively and without interruption towards a climactic green effusion;rather they are oranges,with a number of similar segments,going nowhere or in circles focused on a single subject(the core)”(35).The assertion might be the best metaphor to describe what is a spatial story. Raymond Carver’s Cathedral and his previous collections of short stories are also structurally identical to orange,with no beginning nor denouement,many stories going nowhere or in circles,which this thesis will give much attention to exploring.To conclude,Gabriel Zoran,Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen have some common ground in terms of structuring textual space,the latter two more circumstantial in explaining what constitutes the textual space-discontinuity (juxtaposition)of present and past,repetition,recurrent image and so on.These strategies shatter the linear progression of a narrative,from which a multidimensional space structure is formed,hence the textual space.Therefore,to build a more clear framework when analyzing the textual level of structuring space,Joseph Frank and David Mickelsen’s ideas of textual space will also be employed.1.4.3Social Space:Henri Lefebvre’s Spatial TriadThe spatial triad is the gist of Lefebvre’s epoch-making publication The production of Space(1974).Introducing the concept of social space,he proposes three dimensions of(social)space:spatial practice(the perceived space),representations of space(the conceived space),and representational space(the lived space)(33).Spatial practice,or the perceived space,embodies daily reality and urban reality, such as work,private life and leisure(ibid.38).As an important element in shaping the spatial structure of people’s daily lives,spatial practice also means people’s behavior in space.Because people’s social life takes place in a certain space,people’s activities help shape the appearance of this space.In other words,human behaviorrender space special meanings,such as classrooms in class,parks in leisure,shopping malls,sports fields,etc.These different activities carried out by people not only enhance the value of space,but also form a specific appearance of the space.The representations of space,or the conceptualized space,is the spatial dimension of dominant status in any society(or mode of production).It is the space of architects,planners,urban scholars or engineers,who define what is lived and what is perceived with what is conceived(ibid.38).To put it succinctly,it involves the presentation of a given space,such as the appearance and meaning of the space per se, and the various ways we present it,such as models,words,images,concepts,and thinking.The representational space is the space of actual experience that truly belongs to the inhabitants and users.This space is dominated and passively experienced by those inhabitants and users;at the same time,it is fresh and present,and time is revealed in it(ibid.39).Between these two spaces,spatial practice is more like a tool/action/position,with which representations of space and representational space can be realized by itself in the perceived space.The thesis will only include the spatial practice and representational space when deciphering the anxiety from the social intercourse in the selected stories.1.4.4AnxietyTo unravel the anxiety experienced by Carver’s characters,This literary analysis should,first and foremost,sort out the concept of anxiety with the support of psychological expertise.Niraj Ahuja(2011)defines anxiety as“a‘normal’phenomenon,which is characterised by a state of apprehension or unease arising out of anticipation of danger(89).In his Psychological Approaches to Generalized Anxiety Disorder(2008), Holly Hazlett-Stevens states that people experience anxiety when facing impending threat(65).Anxiety often differs from fear,as fear is an apprehension in response to an external danger,while in anxiety the danger is largely unknown(or internal).”The content of worries,reported by individuals with general anxiety disorder(GAD),aresimilar to those reported by the rest of the population(Dugas&Robichaud,2007), including family,relationships,work,school,health,and finances,which is further cemented by Holly Hazlett-Stevens’s perspective of what constitutes anxiety,namely thoughts,physical sensations,subjective feelings and behaviors.Anxiety as human’s(or animal’s)evolved defense systems,according to theorists such as Gilbert(1993,1998)and Dixon(1998),are the common defensive options for responding to threats,encompassing escape,aggression,etc.The escape behavior,involving flight from the ongoing activities,is the most fundamental one (Dixon,421).The second defensive option is avoidance behavior that requires shunning away from the threats(H.Stevens18).Another defensive option,as Gilbert suggests,is aggressive behavior,including bullying,intimidation,or actual attack.As is stated before,the definition of anxiety is of great significance in terms of clarification for the thesis.However,the purpose of this thesis will,through textual analysis,centre on the manifestation of anxiety and how they are portrayed within three respective levels,as opposed to psychiatric diagnosis.1.5Significance of the researchAn American short-story writer and poet,Raymond Carver contributed to the revitalization of American short story during the1970s and1980s with his five major collections of short stories.His third significant collection of short stories Cathedral (1983),generally perceived as his best,includes the award-winning stories“A Small, Good Thing”and“Where I’m Calling From”.Carver’s oeuvre has been broadly studied by many scholars at home and abroad from different perspectives,but Some studies overemphasized the minimalist style in Carver’s stories.What is more,the collection Cathedral is overlooked,compared with the critical attention of his previous ones.Therefore,the significance of this thesis is to provide a different perspective in interpreting Cathedral for further understanding of Raymond Carver.In addition,in response to the spatial turn as a booming literary and cultural criticism,the present research emphasizes the importance of fictional space and its role on orchestratingatmosphere and emotions,thereby enriching the studies on American short stories.1.6Analysis ProcedureThis thesis aims at discussing three levels of structuring space in five selected stories from Cathedral(1989)in order to illustrate a recurring sense of anxiety that torture Carver’s characters.This thesis base the sequencing of the main chapters on the relativity with the reconstructed textual world.Chapter One provides the introduction of Raymond Carver and his Cathedral, literature review,and the related theories of space.Chapter Two will primarily dig up the textual space in“Preservation”and “Careful”for the purpose of demonstrating the characters’anxiety over losing control of their life,since the textual space is the most immediate one in terms of reconstruction.Chapter Three examines the topographical space in“The Compartment”and “Cathedral”in a bid to illustrate how the topographical elements render the atmosphere permeating anxiety,the anxiety over an unknown journey or a stranger.Chapter Four pecks apart the root of anxiety in different social intercourse from the perspective of social space,namely the father-son relationship in the story“The Compartment”,the marital relationship in“Preservation”and“Careful”,the broken relationship in“Fever”,and the unacquainted relationship in“Cathedral”.Although the thesis analyzes different stories in textual space,topographical space,and social space,every chapter is connected by a thread of a sentiment-anxiety.The revelation of the relationship between the fictional space and this specific sentiment will,therefore,be concluded in the last chapter.CHAPTER TWO ANXIETY OVER LOSING CONTROL:ANALYSIS OFTEXTUAL SPACE“The evidence is overwhelming…that men and women of today live in an‘age of anxiety.’If one penetrates below the surface of political,economic,business, professional,or domestic crises to discover their psychological causes,or if one seeks to understand modern art or poetry or philosophy or religion,one runs athwart the problem of anxiety at almost every turn.”—Rollo May(1950)Anxiety touches all our lives(Kessler,Walters,&Wittchen,2004).In recent years,anxiety disorders have become recognized as one of the most debilitating forms of mental illness in Western Society(Kessler,Mickelson,Barber,&Wang,2001; Rovner,1993)and affect as many as46million individuals in the United States alone (Kessler et al.,1994).Indeed,they are among the most common and prevalent types of psychological maladies in the United States(Shepherd,Cooper,Brown,&Kalton, 1996).Without exception,the fact that Carver himself has gone through such personal troubles as alcoholism and disease over the years contributes tremendously to the representation of anxiety in his fictional characters,as well as his empathy towards them.The aforementioned anxiety taking on multifaceted forms in the stories makes Cathedral(1984),as the following chapters aspires to explore,thematically unified and distinctive.2.1Repetition:Image of Failure in“Careful”Lloyd in“Careful”,an alcoholic man separated from his wife for two weeks, lives in a very small apartment,too small for him.One day his ear is plugged up and his wife comes for a visit.She wants to talk to him,but spends the whole time trying to solve his ear problem.His usual drunken life resumes after she leaves him without having talked to him.While the story is as much a character study as anything,it evokes Kafka’s“The Metamorphosis”(1915)in the way that it centers so strongly around a central metaphor:One morning,as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminousbug...From this height the blanket,just about ready to slide off completely,could hardly stay in place.His numerous legs,pitifully thin in comparisonto the rest of his circumference,flickered helplessly before his eyes.In Carver’s“Careful”,Lloyd’s experience is analogous,if not identical,to Gregor Samsa’s:“He’d awakened that morning and found that his ear had stopped up with wax.He couldn’t hear anything clearly,and he seemed to have lost his sense of balance,his equilibrium,in the process”(113).If someone’s ear is plugged,he/she can simply clean up the ear;but for Lloyd,he’s deeply bothered and irritated by this buildup in ear.Lloyd’s ear buildup serves as a way to understand the essential dilemma of the character.It is a problem that on its surface is quite commonplace,and comes from ordinary circumstances which nevertheless poses a debilitating problem. Even though the ear stoppage seems easy to deal with,it is not.Attempts to force it to go away–Lloyd hits himself in the head over and over–are no good,and only through a considered,deliberate process of being“careful”can the problem be remedied.In other words,he is like the Gregor Samsa in bug shell being upside down and unable to do anything about it,and therein lies the anxiety of losing control, which is further fortified by the the use of repetition or the same image of Lloyd beating himself so hard to get rid of the buildup.The first time the image of beating appears is when Inez comes to visit Lloyd:“he was on the sofa,in his pajamas,hitting his fist against the right side of his head”(ibid.113).When Lloyd recognizes Inez’s voice,he“gave his head another jolt with his fist”(ibid.113).Following the Kafkaesque scene of waking up is Lloyd’s “slamming his head with his fist...”and“He pounded his head a good one and finished the glass of champagne”(ibid.114).The moment Inez tries to talk frankly with Lloyd,he yet again“whacked his head once more”(ibid.116)before Inez puts a towel on top of Loyd’s shoulder,who“hit the side of his head with his fist”and yells “Goddamn it”(ibid.120).The aforementioned movements,therefore,are fraught with a sense of losing control,bearing the recurrent image of Lloyd’s failure to tackle the。
盲目与洞见——浅析雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》的极简主义风格
Ｖ０ｌ＿ｌＯ Ｎｏ．２ Ｊｕｎ．２０１２
盲 目与洞见
浅析雷蒙德 ·卡佛《大教堂 的极简主义风格
孔 锐 才
（新 西 兰 奥 克 兰 大 学人 文 学 院 ，奥 克 兰 １１４２）
【摘要】（（大教堂》 完整地体现 了雷蒙德 ·卡佛的艺术理念 。文本通过重点分析 （（大教 堂》 的外在形 式与 内在构建两
事实上，我们注意到 “观看”不仅意味着权力，它还 以为着无知 的盲 目。正如德里达 在 《盲人 的记 忆》 中指 出，“观看”在西方 的文化 中，还意味着一种封 闭的形而 上 学 的 自恋 ， ０这 种 自恋 的状 态 衍 生 出传 统 的 叙 述 者 对 作 品的全景控 制。当观看者 行使观看 的主动权 中，它实质 上 陷入 了封 闭 的 主 体 性 中 ，而 无 法 深 入 到不 可 见 的层 面 ， 这 个 不 可 见 的层 面 相 反 却 是 让 观 看 成 为 可 能 的 “盲 点 ”。
方面考察卡佛的小说构思 ，进 而探 索这 两方面彼此互动所产生的共 鸣效应 。这种解读方式 不仅有助 于我们重新理解极 简
主 义小说 的艺术特征 ，更有助于重新反 思极 简主义思潮的精神 品质 。
【关键词】雷蒙德 ·卡佛 ；（（大教堂 ；极 简主 义；德里这
【中图分类号 】Ｉ１０６
【文献标识码】 Ａ
相 应 地 ， “盲 目” 这 一 主 题 在 小 说 中 同样 既 意 味 着 “我”作 为主人公的局 限，也意味着 “我”作为叙 述者对
【收稿 日期】２０１２－０５—０４ 【作者简介】孔锐才 ，男 ，广东佛山人：新西兰奥克兰大学人文学院博 士生：主要研究方 向为艺术理论研究和戏剧研究 。
作品在处理这种 “观看”与 “被观看”的关系是有趣 的。首先 ，“我”作为叙述者在作 品的开端 ，运用 了大量 外貌描述 ，去形容盲 人邋 遏的外貌 与古怪的“举止”。“我” 成 为语 言 的 施 暴 者 ，企 图在 控 制 语 言 的优 势 上 击 败 盲 人 。 但事实 上，“我”作 为故事 中的人物 ，却 一直在 “盲人 ” 的 观 看 之 中 。 “我 ” 不 停 地 被 妻 子 与 盲 人 之 间关 系 与 举 动 所迷惑 ，尽 管事实 上什么 都没有发 生过 。但 “我”作为 叙述者似 乎失去 了 自我控制 能力，只能用充满 暗示性 的 语言描述 了他们 两人之 间的交流 。例如 “他把 还在燃烧 的烟蒂递给 我的妻子 ……她接过烟 蒂，递给 我”， 甚至 当妻子 的睡袍从腿上滑下来 的时候 ，“我伸手把她 的睡袍 重新拉起来 ，盖住她 ，就在那时 ，我看了那个盲人一眼。 何 必呢 ！州 不论作为叙述者还 是作为主角的 “我”，都 陷入 了被盲人凝视 的状态 中。
重建巴别塔——评雷蒙德·卡佛的短篇小说集《大教堂》
2009．04重建巴别塔——评雷蒙德卡佛的短篇小说集《大教堂》早春二月的江南，霏雨溟蒙，春寒料峭。
然而，静坐一隅细品雷蒙德卡佛的短篇小说集《大教堂》，内心却拂润着丝丝温暖，感受到清馨扑面的如缕春风。
正如作者卡佛先生本人所言——“我希望保证，读者读完我的小说后，不会有受到欺骗的感觉。
”卡佛做到了；他还说：“要是看到我写的小说，读者能在某种程度上和自己联系在一起，被它感动，并想到r自己的存在，我就高兴。
”卡佛也做到了。
雷蒙德卡佛(R aym ond C ar ver，1938--1988)生于美国俄勒I X J州克拉斯坎尼小镇的一个蓝领之家，自幼家境贫困。
1957年，年仅19岁的卡佛迎娶了当时只有16岁的玛丽恩伯克为妻，6个月后他们有了第一个女儿；翌年10月儿子出生，阿0刚20岁自己还是一个“大男孩”的卡佛俨然成为了一个四口之家的主人。
此后，卡佛一家在美国各地颠沛漂泊，他与妻子共同为生计疲于奔忙。
多舛的命运，困窘的生活，不仅没有压垮卡佛对生活的信念和希望，相反却成为其文学创作生生不息的叙述始源。
卡佛于1961年开始发表小说，直到1980年，甚至是1983年蜚声文坛后，其物质生活才有了根本性的改善。
早年生活的窘迫和压力使他没有大段的时间来从事中长篇小说的写作，“只能写坐下来一次就能写完的东西”；还因经济拮据，居无定所，写作时“无时无刻不担心自己身下的椅子随时都会被人移走”。
小说在某种意义上来说就是作者本人的自传。
卡佛也承认其作品在某种程上都和自己的经历有关，他曾说：“你不是你的人物，但你的人物就是你自己。
”身份卑微、长期在社会底层摸爬滚打的卡佛不仅深谙世事的艰辛，深感“小人物”的生存困苦，也更深刻地体会到信念的顽强，生命的不屈。
他笔下塑造出众多平凡的“小人物”——工人、推销员、旅馆店主、家庭主妇、杂役、酗酒者、破产者、失业者……这些“小人物”，在卡佛细若微雕的笔触下栩栩胡碧媛如生——有时就如自己的邻家兄妹，工厂工友，办公室同事，甚至是感同身受的自己!这些“小人物”与列斐伏尔“日常生活”的琐碎和卡佛所谓“俗事儿”的平凡融混、缠结在一起，自成逻辑地运动展开，被赋予慑人心魄的生命质感和意义张力。
浅析雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》给人的心灵启迪
浅析雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》给人的心灵启迪作者：任今照田稷席磊来源：《出版广角》2018年第11期【摘要】 20世纪末短篇小说复兴的主力作家雷蒙德·卡佛的巅峰之作《大教堂》由11个小故事所组成，描摹平民的生活，表现小人物的日常琐事，以此来告知读者，即使人生消耗殆尽，仍要勇敢地“把塌下去的袜子”拉起来继续前行。
《大教堂》对艰难时世的表现，以及“收拾人生的勇气”，给现代人的生活注入力量，这也是《大教堂》的出版价值所在。
【关键词】雷蒙德·卡佛；《大教堂》；出版；推广【作者单位】任今照，内蒙古医科大学；田稷，内蒙古医科大学；席磊，内蒙古医科大学。
【中图分类号】G236 【文献标识码】A 【DOI】10.16491/45-1216/g2.2018.11.029雷蒙德·卡佛是美国当代著名短篇小说家、诗人，被誉为“新小说”创始者。
卡佛的作品风格和他自身经历密切相关，作品语言精简冷硬，多以描写生活于破碎边缘的小人物为主，内容近似于家庭小说。
生活的变质和走投无路的无望，是卡佛小说中人物的常态。
小说主人公有饭店女招待、维他命推销员、机械师、邮递员、剃头匠，等等。
有评论认为，卡佛的小说有“表面的平静，主题的普通，面无表情的叙事，以及想不清楚的人”。
小说故事内容大多数稀疏平常：小夫妇没能生出孩子以至生活灰暗；父母等待被撞伤的孩子醒来，却以孩子悄然离去结尾；卖维他命的女人很焦虑，而丈夫正觊觎着她的同伴……卡佛小说常有意想不到的结尾。
由于卡佛的早期作品多以灰色基调为主，人物之间难以沟通、不可预料的灾难事件，以及人物行为的无目的性，使得他的创作风格被称为“灰色现实主义”。
但其第四部短篇小说集《大教堂》，却改变了这一风格。
短篇小说集《大教堂》被公认为是雷蒙德·卡佛的颠覆之作，包括11个短篇，收入了卡佛大部分名篇——《羽毛》《瑟夫的房子》《保鲜》《软座包厢》《好事一小件》《维他命》《发烧》《马笼头》和《大教堂》等。
雷蒙德·卡弗小说《大教堂》主题研究
雷蒙德·卡弗（ＲａｙｍｏｎｄＣａｒｖｅｒ）是继海明威之后 美国最伟大的短篇小说家，曾多次获得美国短篇小说 大奖，被赞誉为美国文学史上极为少见的艰难世事的 观察者和表达者。在卡弗的一生中，不幸始终缠绕着 他，为了生存早早就辍学的他，又经历失去工作、与妻 子感情破裂等苦难，达到人生低谷。后来因文学作品 逐渐为人所识，却又要遭受身体上病痛的折磨。他的 这些人生经历，影响着他的文学创作，比如写作风格、 写作题材、主题等等［１］。他的文学创作题材经常取自 挣扎在社会底层的小人物，小说内容也是来源于普通 人的日常生活，多描写这些人在生活中摸爬滚打的姿 态及心理活动。
［作者简介］孔艳艳（１９９３－），女，大连外国语大学英Байду номын сангаас学院在读硕士研究生，主要从事美国文学研究。
５４
兰州教育学院学报 第 ３５卷
到了人与人之间心灵真正交流的美好。妻子甚至要 为此写一首诗来表达她的心情，她总是尝试着写诗， 特别是在经历过对她特别重要的事情之后。因为内 心孤独，所以才会极为珍视那一刻的感受。而主人公 作为小说的叙述者，他的孤独表现得不是很明显，但 还是能够通过其与妻子的日常生活捕捉到他孤独的 心灵。当主人公对将要到来的盲人朋友有不敬的言 语时，妻子很生气，并表示如果丈夫的朋友到家里来 做客的话，她一定会周全地照顾客人，让客人感到舒 服自在。丈夫反驳并表示自己不会有盲人朋友，妻子 生气地对丈夫说：“你没有任何朋友。”［３］丈夫并没有 否认，可见他在生活中几乎是没有什么朋友的。丈夫 与妻子看似生活在一起，实则貌合神离。主人公作为 叙述者在小说中说过，他自己和妻子很少一块儿回房 休息过，他每天都会抽烟，总是熬到很晚才睡，还会做 噩梦，醒来时 心 跳 得 厉 害。 可 见，夫 妻 二 人 之 间 是 有 距离感的，两个人没有彼此靠近，恩爱的夫妻不会如 此疏离。
隔离与融合——小说集《大教堂》中的文本空间与人际交流
第15卷第1期2017年1月顺德职业技术学院学报 Journal of Shunde PolytechnicVol.15 No.1Jan. 2017文•史•哲研究隔离与融合一一小说集《大教堂》中的文本空间与人际交流郑楠(暨南大学文学院，广东广州510632)摘要：《大教堂》是卡佛于1983年出版的短篇小说集，同时也是其对底层人民的挣 扎着墨最为特殊的一本小说集。
根据以色列学者加布里尔•伦佐的空间理论，卡佛的 小说空间大致有三个层次。
而层次之间的变化又与人物交流密切相关。
文章拟通过分 析小说中两种不同的人际交流模式，试图探讨《大教堂》一书在卡佛小说中的特殊地位。
关键词：卡佛；《大教堂》；空间中图分类号：1106 文献标志码：A 文章编号：1672-6138(2017)01-0079-07DOI ： 10.3969/j .issn .1672-6138.2017.01.015作为美国二十世纪下半叶最为重要的短篇小说 家之一■，雷蒙德.卡佛（Raymond Carver ，1938—1988)的作品可谓享有国际盛誉。
卡佛小说中描写 得最多的是生活在美国社会底层的蓝领工人们，苦 苦挣扎在生活破碎的边缘，其小说按内容分类近似 于家庭小说（domestic novel )。
其早期作品的基调基 本上是灰色的，人物之间的难以沟通、灾难事件发 生的不可预料性以及人物行动的无目的性成为小说 一贯的构成部分，因此卡佛小说的创作风格也被归 为“肮脏现实主义”之中。
然而在《大教堂》这一 晚期代表作中，卡佛开始产生了风格上的转变，过 往的“灰色卡佛”首次在小说中展露出希望，尽管 小说中的人物依旧对外界有所抵制，但角色之间却 开始进行互相沟通或自我探讨以求精神上的解脱。
在《大教堂》中，卡佛在小说中第一次表现出与过 往迥异同时也是具有空间属性的人物交流模式，因 而研究《大教堂》中的空间模型显得相当有意义。
事实上，对小说中空间的研究已不再是某种“奇技 淫巧”，空间研究日益成为一门显学。
雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》中的精神救赎
雷蒙德·卡佛《大教堂》中的精神救赎作者：俞贤来源：《青年与社会》2020年第37期摘要：《大教堂》是卡佛最为成熟的作品。
文章分为三个部分，首先探讨造成小说世界中的主人公疏离的原因;其次分析救赎的途径，即打破禁锢、敞开心扉;最后分析救赎的目的，即“我”从盲人那汲取精神力量，建构精神家园。
从这三个部分出发探寻《大教堂》中温暖与关怀，选择合适的解读角度探究短篇小说《大教堂》作品的存在方式，从中揭示卡佛小说在波澜不惊的叙事下对命运的抗争和对人性的呼唤。
关键词：《大教堂》;解构;建构;精神救赎雷蒙德·卡佛是美国较富盛名的小说家之一，《大教堂》作为其最为成熟的作品，完整地体现了他的艺术理念。
小说不再单纯聚焦于事件;不再只是集中描写蓝领的失意人生和苍白生活;也不再是赤裸裸地展示生活中的“雾霾”和人性里的“灰尘”，而是将封锁的天窗开了一小条缝，让人窥见天空的星星点点，表达了普通人对个体存在的感悟，以及彼此交流沟通中所闪现的人性关怀。
一、精神家园的迷失与荒芜卡佛的作品让人感触较深的就是蓝领阶层的集体性疏离，这种疏离关系在个体生活的方方面面都有鲜明体现。
生活境况的窘迫，使人的生活元素变得单一繁琐而又零散破碎。
在这样的生活压力下，夫妻关系不和，人际交往受阻成为必然结果，进一步导致了自我的迷失堕落，精神家园的荒芜与贫瘠。
（一）生存现状的桎梏《大教堂》中的主人公“我”，是被生活的枷鎖禁锢的人群中的一员，生活境况的拮据、生存状态的苍白，让“我”将自己置身于封闭空间，所以导致了“我”的人际关系网几乎处于空白的环境下。
“我”排斥一切新鲜的、具有美感的事物[1]。
在“我”与妻子的对话中，可以得知“我”缺乏热情友好的待客方式，朋友也很少。
“我可没什么盲人朋友。
”我说。
“你根本就什么朋友都没有。
”她说。
[2]（P214）妻子相对意义来说是“我”最为亲近的人，较为了解“我”的交友情况和待客方式，妻子的这番话，无意中反映出“我”孤寂且自我的生活方式。
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走出疏离走向融合——雷蒙德·卡佛小说《大教堂》的主题分析摘要：作为同名小说集的代表作，短篇小说《大教堂》在小说集中的地位非同凡响。
小说《大教堂》，对于作者卡佛本人是一种写作上的突破。
这一突破最重要的体现在小说的主题意义。
短篇小说《大教堂》之前的作品基调几乎都是凄凉悲观，人物大多处于封闭、与外界相对隔绝的状态；而《大教堂》中的人物则开始与他人交流，探寻自己封闭空间外的世界。
本文将重心放在小说《大教堂》的主题方面，从小说的主题意义角度进行解读，以呈现卡佛小说世界中难得一现的曙光。
关键词：雷蒙德·卡佛；大教堂；疏离；融合《大教堂》是一篇深受大众喜爱，也是卡佛本人非常欣赏的小说。
曾经入选1982年的《美国年度最佳短篇小说》。
小说的特别之处在于它代表了一种新趋势。
《大教堂》被普遍认为是卡佛创作的一次重要突破［1］。
卡佛认为，《大教堂》“在观念和手法上与以前写的小说完全不同”。
就个人和美学两方面而言，写这部作品时，“我（卡佛）感到我正在摆脱使自己陷入其中的某种东西”［2］。
对于如此重要的小说，关于它的专门评论文章却只有寥寥数篇，目前国外仅有布洛克（Chris J. Bullock）从男性自我角度、Steve Mirarchi 从宗教暗示角度、Mark A. R. Facknitz 从人性价值方面、Nelson Hathcock从重生的可能性进行了分析。
国内的相关评论，仅有邱小轻分析小说集《大教堂》中映射的美国社会；对于《大教堂》这篇小说而言，则只有唐伟胜对小说《大教堂》的封闭式结尾进行分析；另外有高熹微，针对小说的不可靠叙述进行了讨论。
虽然国内外的评论中很少有专门的论文对这一短篇小说进行评论，小说《大教堂》对于整部小说集却具有举足轻重的地位。
纵观卡佛一系列短篇小说，其中人物几乎都在人生的边缘挣扎，或者处于与社会疏离隔绝中，而小说《大教堂》中，处于疏离隔绝的人物已经开始洞察走向融合的途径。
小说《大教堂》犹如黑暗中的一盏明灯，照亮了疏离社会中的人们的前进方向。
正因如此，《大教堂》才能作为标志性的小说，作为小说集的代表作。
本文将重心放在小说在主题方面的标志性意义上，从小说《大教堂》的主题意义角度进行解读，以呈现这篇小说中不同以往其他卡佛小说，而且更是以往作品中难得一见的曙光。
一疏离依旧《大教堂》中，卡佛以第一人称，叙述了主人公接待妻子的一位盲人朋友的小事。
小说人物中的人与人的疏离，似乎很难被读者觉察到。
疏离首先体现在主人公妻子企图自杀的事件上。
她曾一度处于自我疏离和社会疏离两种境地。
《大不列颠百科全书》对于自我疏离的的解释是个人在某种程度上与本我的不一致或脱离；而社会疏离则是个人在社会关系中的孤独感和被排斥感①参见Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition. Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 1984, p.574。
①。
主人公的妻子曾经用杜松子酒将药柜里所有的药片和胶囊全部吞下。
然而驱使她作出选择的动机却是：她和她的军官前夫不得不经常变换驻地；她不喜欢他们住的地方，不喜欢他成为军事工业的一部分；她感到孤寂，觉得这种搬来搬出的生活让她不断和她亲密的人失去联系［3］。
处于陌生的环境，与亲密的人距离遥远，心情孤寂到让人绝望的境地，这是一种与人和社会疏离的感觉。
虽然只是小说中的寥寥几笔，然而却勾勒出了一副惨淡凄凉的疏离油画。
主人公在小说叙述时的身心状态，其实类似于其妻子曾经的状况。
只是他的疏离表现得十分隐晦。
虽然一直和妻子住在一起，似乎不存在任何意义上的疏离。
但仔细推敲他和妻子的对话和日常生活的点滴，以及他对盲人、宗教和社会问题上的评论，他在思想上与社会和他人的疏离可见一斑。
主人公缺乏朋友，这点从他与妻子为了罗伯特的来访的争执上才体现出来：“我可没有什么瞎子朋友。
”我说“你什么朋友都没有，”她说，“句号。
再说，”她接着说，“他的妻子刚刚死了！”［3］主人公没有否认，因此，这两行简短的对话至少可以推断出两层信息：（1）主人公在生活中可以交往的朋友很少；（2）主人公并不富有同情心，他的思想中完全没有将他人失去至亲的人的悲痛考虑进去。
与他人行为和思想上的接触都很匮乏的主人公，其实是处于一种相对封闭的状态。
这种封闭，在他与妻子间体现也十分隐秘。
后来盲人罗伯特来访后，晚上与他一起抽大麻时，叙述者附带地提及另外一丝信息。
他每天晚上都要抽大麻，一直熬到快睡着了才去睡觉。
他和妻子几乎没有同时上过床。
据他描述，他睡觉时总是做梦，有时会从梦中惊醒，心狂跳不止。
似乎在灵魂的深处，他其实还是和妻子距离遥远，还有一些莫名的烦恼困扰在主人公的周围，这影响着他的睡眠，并且从他的梦境中体现出来。
其次，主人公对外界事物如盲人、宗教及其他问题等的一系列评论，大多是一种主观臆断，有的甚至是偏见，也体现了主人公一种相对自闭的状态。
这一点集中体现在罗伯特拜访前期。
和盲人交往让他感觉不自在，他对盲人的概念来自电影或是主观臆断：盲人走起路来总是慢腾腾的，而且他们从来不笑；他认为墨镜是盲人必带的东西；盲人不抽烟，因为他们看不见自己吐出来的烟。
诸如此类毫无根据的推论，显示出主人公对盲人这一群体缺乏基本常识。
这是一块他社交领域的真空，是他视线中的盲区。
他妻子对于罗伯特的描述，他总是不愿意聆听，甚至排斥和罗伯特相关的话题。
他主观地对和盲人妻子的生活做了如下评判：“一个女人，痛苦也好，欢乐也好，她丈夫永远看不到她脸上的表情。
化妆不化妆——对他来说有什么差别？她愿意的话，可以给一只眼睛抹上绿色的眼圈，在鼻孔里插根别针，黄色裤子配紫色鞋子……”［3］这种黑色幽默的运用，不但不能增添主人公的幽默感，反而让读者更加确信他同情心的缺乏以及理解能力的欠缺，甚至感情上的吝啬和幼稚。
他对罗伯特妻子的这种推测，只是因为自己妻子在帮罗伯特工作的最后一天，让罗伯特“把她的脸摸了个遍，她的鼻子，甚至她的脖子”。
其实，对于盲人，触摸只是一种“看”人的方式，在主人公心里，这是一种另他无法接受的举动。
嫉妒、不快等复杂情绪让他在潜意识里把罗伯特当成了竞争对手，处处与之为敌，而不是替罗伯特失去爱妻而悲伤或是表达些许的同情。
主人公另外一次幽默感的体现也使幽默效果适得其反。
在晚餐开动前，罗伯特低头祷告，而他却说，“愿电话铃不要响，愿饭菜不会变凉”［3］。
对于信仰宗教的任何人，这将是一种大不敬。
而罗伯特正是一位在教堂举行婚礼的人，而且饭前低头认真做祷告并且信仰宗教的人。
主人公幼稚的幽默，在表达他对罗伯特的敌对与不快情绪之外，更反映他对宗教的看法。
主人公一直采取的态度是，在一个自我封闭的世界里，不和他人接触，没有朋友；对外界事物排斥抵制，以一种自我麻痹式的精神胜利法，鄙视外界和他人，以确立自己的中心地位，维护自己的思想观念。
二走出疏离主人公走出自我封闭的世界，是通过与盲人罗伯特的几次较量中实现的。
连主人公也许都没有预计到，正是在这些小冲突中，他对于他人及外界，包括盲人、宗教甚至是世界观都产生了不小的变化，最终使他走出自己的封闭、疏离的个人世界。
虽然是盲人，罗伯特的心胸无比宽广，能清楚地洞察外界的一切事物，并能很好地驾驭世界。
而主人公相对显得思想狭隘，思想上受着重重蒙蔽，无法看清生活的真谛。
罗伯特刚到主人公家，嫉妒与狭隘再次占上风。
让他问起罗伯特在来的时候坐火车的哪一边，并提及乘火车沿哈得孙河观看风景，去纽约的时候坐火车右边，回来时在左边。
以此故意刁难罗伯特，取笑他失明。
罗伯特以大度的胸怀回应了这次交战，他直接回答说右边。
随即把话题转移，他聊起他上一次坐火车是小时候，四十年后的现在，他的“胡子已经上霜了”并问女主人，“我看上去尊贵吗”［3］。
这次交锋体现了盲人的机智、幽默与大度。
卡佛还描写了一次让人费解的晚餐竞赛，而这场也让主人公对盲人另眼相看。
尽管比赛是在不公平的前提下进行的，罗伯特却丝毫不逊色。
他一声不吭，狼吞虎咽。
他能准确地找到饭菜，知道盘子里几乎所有东西的位置。
最后两人几乎打成平手。
主人公这时看待罗伯特的眼光从鄙视转为佩服，自己是双眼明目的人的优越感在逐步消失。
而罗伯特却丝毫没有些许的自卑感。
晚餐后的谈话正好印证了前文提及的主人公的自我封闭的一面，与罗伯特的开朗性格形成鲜明的对比。
相比没有什么朋友的主人公，盲人罗伯特却有很多业余无线电收发爱好者朋友。
他的朋友遍布关岛、菲律宾、阿拉斯加，甚至是塔希提岛。
罗伯特的朋友圈广泛，与他乐观、大度、开朗的性格相关，更与他的生活态度联系紧密。
这是小说作者暗中传递给读者的信息，与盲人交往中主人公也慢慢收到了罗伯特的感染。
罗伯特对待朋友总是积极向上，对待新事物更是乐于尝试。
与主人公对待不了解事物（如盲人）时的消极封闭形成鲜明的对比。
主人公妻子随后离开，只剩下他和罗伯特。
主人公卷了一根大麻，并邀罗伯特尝一下。
罗伯特是第一次抽大麻，不懂其中技巧，连最起码的常识都没有。
虽然不是他的喜好，但他的想法是，“凡是总得有个开头”，也许尝试一下并不会影响他。
不久后，罗伯特已经很熟悉，“老练得像他九岁起就一直在抽这玩意”样了［3］。
电视也是主人公与罗伯特交流的一个重要媒介。
罗伯特对看电视丝毫不忌讳，他坦然地说起他看电视，并能分辨自己家里彩色电视和黑白电视。
对于电视里放主人公很少看的教堂和中世纪的节目，罗伯特不觉得这节目索然无味，却说：“看什么都行。
我总能学到一点什么。
今晚学点东西对我没什么坏处。
我带着副耳朵呢。
”积极地生活，面对新事物的开放态度，这正是对外界排斥，处于相对封闭的主人公身上所欠缺的。
罗伯特也十分坦诚地说自己“知道的东西实在很少”，并邀请主人公为自己描述一下大教堂。
敌意和不快随着节目的推进慢慢消失。
主人公的解释中出现，“人们盖教堂是为了接近上帝。
在过去，上帝是人们生活里一个很重要的部分。
”罗伯特很友好地与主人公坦诚相对，并小心地问：“我只不过有点好奇，不是想冒犯你。
你是这里的主人。
我想问问你信不信教？你不介意我这么问吧？”［3］客人的大度与礼貌与主人的狭隘和粗鲁之间的冲突在慢慢消失，主人公从处处敌视这位客人，丝毫没有不顾及待客之道，开始转变成与罗伯特交流。
他开始敞开心扉，坦白地承认自己的宗教观——“我想我不信。
什么教都不信。
” 继而又以同样礼貌的口吻继续说：“请你一定原谅我……我做这种事情（解释大教堂）真的不在行。
我实在没办法做得更好了。
”［3］对于他鄙视的瞎子，他能以这样地坦诚和礼貌开始与之交流，对电视节目的解释确实给主人公带来了不小的改变。
在接近陌生的盲人世界时，主人公正一步步走出自我封闭的世界。
而接下来罗伯特提出画大教堂的建议，却让主人公得到了前所未有的体验，使主人公体会到不受任何约束，真正地走进盲人世界的轻松与愉悦。