... leap. It is as if the narrator suddenly realizes that through contact with another person, he somehow encounters the divine. Historical Context Economic Climate The characters who people Carver's short stories, including "Cathedral," find themselves in times of diminishing expectations. In 1978, only about 11.7 percent of the United States population was considered "poor" by government standards. The rate ... , virtually all reviewers laud the shift. Anatole Broyard, who suggests that a reader must be "something of a semiologist" to understand Carver, also links him with "strong American...

• Word Count: 11148
• Approx Pages: 45
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School