Literature

In literature, an epiphany is an “Aha!” moment. As a literary device, epiphany (pronounced ih-pif–uh-nee) is the moment when a character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story. Often, an epiphany begins with a small, everyday occurrence or experience. Epiphanic moments are not restricted to literature. The same instances of revelation occur in everyday life.

Epiphanies provide narratives with some of the most exciting and compelling events, pulled out of ordinary moments. Moments of epiphany provide literary plots with sudden turns which remarkably change the character’s perspective of life.

Characters are rooted in everyday life, but epiphanies allow them to rise above ordinary consciousness in order to have great revelations and realizations which drastically change their perspectives. The epiphany strengthens literary and creative pieces with moments of sudden clarity which can drastically change characters and their plots.

For this assignment, you will identify the moment of epiphany in “Cathedral,” and in an argumentative paragraph, you share and support your interpretation of this moment. As you think about this moment and prompt, consider the changes that take place in the narrator because of this moment.

*Be sure that your response doesn’t just tell the moment, but explains and supports with textual evidence how the epiphany suggests a change in the narrator’s perspective.