In the short story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver. I relate with the husband since personally I have never spend any time with a blind person. I would feel the same way as he did, since I wouldn't know how to start. I used to have the same idea of a blind man as the narrator of the story. The narrator was expecting someone who never laughed and moved slowly. I relate to this character in every sense, it is hard to start a conversation with a blind person, you might feel intimidated. The ending is where I relate more to the character than any other place. At the ending the narrator closes his eyes and just imagines himself to be blind and he finally connects with the blind man. I have closed my eyes a few times and I have imagined how it will be to not be able to see my love ones appearance.
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In the second short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", by Ernest Hemingway. I can't relate to the young waiter he is just self-absorbed. The young waiter is an excellent example of the type of human beings that only think about themselves. Throughout his conversation with the older waiter, the young waiter insults the old deaf man, calling him "a nasty thing." The older waiter defends the senior, however, saying that he is clean and dignified in his drunkenness. The younger waiter forces the man to pay the bill, and soon the man leaves. The young waiter is impatient with the old man, hoping to return home to his wife by a decent hour. He doesn't understand the old deaf man circumstances as the older waiter does. He doesn't understand how important it is to offer such a clean, well-lighted place to his customers.
In "Cathedral" I would change the negative response that the narrator has about spending time with a blind person. I do relate with his feelings and thoughts about blind people but not his first reaction. He tells us immediately that his visitor's blindness molests him and that he is not looking forward to having a blind man in his house.
