What You Pawn I Will Redeem, Cathedral a Comparative Analysis

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Adam Sperandio Dr. GM Lit 210 October 26, 2012 What you pawn I will redeem, Cathedral A comparative analysis Although on the surface, these two stories may not look like they have much in common, but today I look to prove you otherwise. I will go into detail to show similarities, you will read about the struggles of both main characters in the stories, the Marxist Criticism that lies in the story, and how it applies to this paper. Let’s start with the obvious. While the setting of “What you pawn I will redeem” is in Seattle, Washington, the main character of the other story we are going to be going into, “Cathedral”, is from Seattle, Washington. Both men are grieving over the loss of their loved one, In Jackson Jackson’s case, his grandmother and in Robert’s case his wife. Both of which lost their lives battling cancer. Now, let’s go a little deeper. Both men loved to drink, and the stories used the alcohol to show the differences in lifestyles each had. Robert loved Scotch. And he made it a point to let the narrator and his wife know, by pulling a quote out from one of his favorite actors, “When I drink water, I drink water. When I drink whiskey, I drink whiskey.” Jackson squared; as he was called in his respective story let alcohol run his life. He was a drunken alcoholic Indian, who needed alcohol to live. He used all his money on booze. And he even admitted, “I’m not always good at staying sober.” In “Cathedral” the alcohol symbolizes public status and class. Drinking scotch wasn’t for the poor. Scotch is a “Rich Man’s Drink”. You imagine being in a nice house, drinking a very well-aged bottle of expensive scotch. Savoring the moment and the flavor with every sip as it were; this story shows a more civilized and wealthy aspect.

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