Pat's post centered around the concept of intimacy (and the lack of it) in the short story Cathedral. He talked about the lack of names in the story and explores the relationships with the wife in the story.
Although a lot of people have touched on this intimacy topic in their blogs, I found the way you described it to be really accurate and capture the 'void' that Carver paints into the story. You made a really good point when you said that the wife was almost like an axis that her husband and ex-employer revolve around. She makes intimacy apparent both in its presence (with Robert) and in its absence (with her husband). The void of intimacy really made the story, and you did a great job of explaining why.
Alex: The Lie that Wasn't a Lie
Alex's blog entry explored the very ending of the book, when Marlow met the Intended. Her post went through her original interpretation of Marlow's 'lie', and what made her change her mind.
Ok, I had so much trouble finding someone who didn't agree that 'the horror' wasn't the intended. I didn't believe that she was the force behind Kurtz's destruction and evil either. I can't imagine that someone he loved (and the fact that he loved her could also be debated) could inspire such hatred and manipulation is hard for me to comprehend. However, this left me with no concrete idea of what this Intended meant to Kurtz. Your idea makes so much sense! I think that Kurtz, in his last moments, was enlightened to 'the horror' of the havoc he wrecked on the people of the Congo. In that sense, he wasn't referring to his Intended at all. But when Marlow comforts her and convinces her that she was on Kurtz's last breath, he brings out another truth, which you pointed out- he may have been disgusted with the way he manipulated a girl's heart as well.
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