I must say good, for in my own viewpoint, history is not a piece of cake. I hate history subject... tracing back to past years which I still do not exist and for god sake, I do not care! Thanks to Boyd, he opened a window for me to at least appreciate history through his records about short story.
Despite the fact that I do not felt the urge to enjoy what I am reading, I still understood how short yet meaningful stories came to be. Honestly speaking,I even don't remember those names mentioned in the history of short story but I was able to realized that its mystery and complexity of afterthought is a pavement to a simple narrative story in which the whole is undeniably greater than the sum of its component. Short stories must go on great craftsmanship for it has accomplish its purpose in very few words.
According to Sir Mike, "It is when you enjoy that you learn the most." That would maybe explain why I wasn't able to unveil the mystery of the short story "The Cathedral". I found it really (promise!) boring (sorry to Carver). I thought it would talk more about churches, gods, goddesses but ooh I doesn't! I just recognized its significant message after our Lit3 class (special thanks to ms.rose and to my classmates as well). I do not even sensed the rudeness of the husband towards the blind man in the story but while discussing about it, I discerned that it was true, people tend to do special favors to incapacitated persons not knowing how it is perceived by the person. I am not saying that we should not help disabled persons,rather, we must treat them as how we treat normal ones, know our limitations and the same as they do to theirs and maybe help them until they can't manage to do it. In addition, the blind mind affected me too, he gave me a conforming appeal. I may not be blind as he do but I am blinded with so many things in life. I realized, I am just living for the sake of living just like the husband, but was not able to see the scintillating reality. But its not yet the end of the world, I can still experience the underlying meaning of life and live it to the fullest. So much for that, the story was indeed a short story, from its mystery and beguiling resonance. It may be hanging but it has the elements needed in it to be called one and is impossible to be encapsulated.
"Virginia Woolf [...] said of photography, 'Isn’t it odd how much more one sees in a photograph than in real life?' This gives us, I think, a clue to the enduring power and appeal of the short story—they are snapshots of the human condition and of human nature, and when they work well, and work on us, we are given the rare chance to see in them more 'than in real life.'"
This passage spells an entity. Photographs speaks a thousand words and yet it can only be untangled with a simple exposition. Just like the short stories, its mystery is a conundrum to the reader. It is in the person to discover and unfold its enigma of human condition and recount it to the real world. For if people sees the beauty in it, it captures their heart and will be developed for a lifetime.
