Patirtyje ir per patirtį: Raymond Carver apsakymų rinkinyje „Katedra“

Inside and Through Experience: Raymond Carver's Short Story Collection "Cathedral" This research paper presented an analysis of Raymond Carver’s short story collection Cathedral. Three stories were chosen for the research: “Cathedral”, “Careful” and “Preservation”. The aims of the research were to analyse Raymond Carver’s short story collection Cathedral from a phenomenological perspective, paying particular attention to the bodily experiences of the characters as well as to find out how bodily perception, available through senses (vision, hearing, touch), is significant to the development of the characters and the overall symbolic meaning of the short stories. The analysis was based on Maurice Merleau Ponty’s book Phenomenology of Perception which focuses on the role perception plays in understanding and engaging with the world paying particular attention to the human body. The philosopher claims that the body and the consciousness are inseparable and constitute the human subject. The body is considered is considered as the mediator between the subject and the surrounding world. Merleau-Ponty also claims that the body possesses practical knowledge and is constantly open towards the world due to its intentionality of which the subject himself may not be consciously aware. The ideas of Merleau-Ponty were adapted in the analysis of the short story “Cathedral” which revealed that the bodily experience of the narrator when drawing the cathedral was important considering the unity of the body and the consciousness. Projecting himself towards the cathedral led to an epiphany as well as helped to build a powerful connection with the blind man by empathizing with his condition. The second story “Careful” presented a clear symbol of the body’s intentionality manifested in the plugged ear of the main character Lloyd. The ear acts as a sign of Lloyd not wanting to listen to his wife and may also be considered as his projection towards a champagne bottle, the symbol of his drinking. In third story “Preservation” one of the main characters loses his hope and motivation to find a job and is likened to a can of preserved food or a frozen man. The end of this stagnation is symbolised by the broken down fridge as well as the puddle that appears beneath his feet. In this story the character projects himself towards various objects, his bodily intentions reflecting his inner state. To sum up, it is possible to confirm that the senses such as sigh, hearing and touch acted as the basis of the characters’’ experiences. From the phenomenological perspective, the body is the vehicle which is open towards the world and guides the characters through their experiences. The bodily experiences often led the characters towards a change or caused them to go through an epiphany