"River of Names" and "Cathedral" blog

After reading "River of Names" by Dorothy Allison I was somewhat confused at what was happening, but found the writing very interesting.  When he says, "the rope around his neck pulled up into the sunlit heights of the barn, fascinating, horrible."(page 3), I found this to be disturbing only for the fact that the boy was only eight years old.  I do not understand why or how someone so young could kill themselves.  I also found it interesting that he used fascinating and horrible together.  Although it was such a horrible event he saw fascination in it somehow.  Then he says, " thick blood ran down her legs" and "stinking smoke"(page 4) both of these give reference to what had happened to his cousin.  We are able to see the blood in our minds and think of how badly the smoke would smell.  

Throughout this reading I found it interesting how large of a family they have and how if someone goes missing or dies they really do not miss them.  He says,"They died and were not missed"(page 5) I thought this could mean that since so many people pass away in his family and it normally seems to happen because they do it to themselves that everyone just stopped caring.  I feel like it came to be a usual thing to happen in the family so they just got used to it.  When it mentioned Greenville and Greer I was excited just because I am familiar with both of these places by being from Easley.  

In the next part of the story he says, "wasn't funny to me in my mama's bed with my stepfather"(page 6)  this reminded me of both "Home" and "Lolita".  All of these stories are relating to each other through this disturbing detail or adults having relations with children.  Although I realize the difference throughout them all.  I feel his relationship with Jesse really helps him because of how much she loves him.  All these memories are coming to him in his dreams and bringing back his horrible childhood.  He does not want to remember these stories but can't help it.  He then says the story of his Uncle Butch and how he would smell the gasoline in the cars but then one day someone taught him a lesson by lighting a match.  When I read about all these stories that happened in his family I feel bad for him and the things he had to witness as a child.

At the end of the story I was somewhat unhappy with the part about him and his sister with there dad.  From this happening to them they will grow up and not live a life like normal people.  Just like the next part where his sister becomes pregnant and says, "Don't we have a tradition of Bastards?"(page 11).  When she says this she is referring to all the men in her family who have treated them so badly over the years.  My favorite quote came from the last page and that is when he says, "a river of names endlessly repeating.(page 12).  I enjoy this quote because it has the title within it and it explains in sum what he has talked about throughout the whole story.  All the stories and names swimming through his head will never leave.  He will always remember what happened in his childhood.

The next story I read was "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver.  Within the first paragraph I was questioning the man.  Why would he have such a bad outlook on the blind.  He says, "And him being blind bothered me."(page 108) this seems silly to me.  I know it might not be that convent for him to have to deal with but the man is his wife's friend so he should so more respect.  The next part made more since to the first.  After reading about the blind man wanting to touch his wife's face, I found this a little creepy.  I could understand if it was just to remember someone but the way he described touching her neck and then her writing a poem about it.  He says, "She wrote a poem or two every year, usually after something really important had happened to her."(page 109).  This made me feel sad for the husband because obviously Robert was a very important part of her life at some point and time.

Throughout the next part of the story when Robert arrived we learned of his travels and that he was around forty years old.  I found it interesting that he could eat his food so easily and that when they went to talk in the living room the wife sat with Robert on the coach.  This shows a connection between the two especially by the husband sitting away in his chair.  He says, "Every night I smoked dope"(page 119) I found this interesting also because Robert also took part in something the husband enjoyed.  I also found in interesting when Robert told him about the Cathedral him and a friend were drawing.  He is sharing something that is very important to him with the husband who was not sure of him at first.  I also find it interesting because he is blind and can draw what he feels inside.  Over all I enjoyed the first story more because I felt it had an interesting message and enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on.