“Cathedral” William Shenstone states, “Jealousy is the fear of apprehension of superiority: envy our easiness under it.” The main character in the short story “Cathedral,” written by a well written American short story Author, Raymond Carver, is a married man with doubts of another man from his wife’s past, making him jealous. Carver uses the husband to narrate the short story. The setting takes place in the house of the husband. The story tells about Robert, the antagonist who lost his wife and visits his old friend. The envious character causes conflict with himself about the relationship of the wife and friend. The protagonist’s uneasiness of meeting the old friend starts from the beginning before his arrival. Robert, the blind Carver provides an easy, visual outlook of the protagonist throughout the short story, which helps keep a better understanding during the simple yet intense experience. As the story continues, the protagonist enhances his mood as he aids Robert to visualizing a cathedral. This experience creates an impact on others because it is a great reason to why one should never judge someone of something beyond their controls. Also, helping someone, as Robert does for Bub can be a life changing experience. Despite the blind man being physically blind, the husband is the one with the disability to see from someone else’s perspective. This is proven through his epiphany during his portrayal of being blind. Although Bub is not physically blind, he interprets a shortage of observations. This shows that in many ways he is blinder than Robert. Robert is more open minded and willing to experience things, in contrast to Bub, who is narrow minded and has problems opening up his mind throughout the short story. Because the protagonist does not fully try to understand his wife, it makes him look like the blind person ironically though he can visually recognize her, proving that he does not truly know her inside and out. Knowing her personally is more of reality and the husband is blind to reality. Carver definitely analyzes the protagonist’s emotions through diction and visual aid throughout the story, providing great understanding of the meaning as a
In Raymond Carver’s story, “Cathedral,” the story tells of how a close outside relationship can threaten a marriage by provoking insecurities, aggravating communication barriers, and creating feelings of invasion of privacy. The husband in the story is given the gift of seeing the cathedral through a blind man’s eyes. Although the title suggests that the story is about a cathedral, it is really about two men who come together and share a vision and realize it is he who is blind. As the story begins, the character of the husband has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, is narrow-minded, and is jealous of his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert.
In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator, Bub, is as metaphorically blind as his guest, Robert, is literally blind. Bub has many unwarranted misconceptions about life, blind people in particular. He also has many insecurities that prevent him from getting too close to people. Through his interaction with Robert, Bub is able to open his mind and let go of his self-doubt for a moment and see the world in a different light.
Although many critics have written numerous accounts of Richard Carver’s "Cathedral" as being about revelation and overcoming prejudice, they have overlooked a very significant aspect: the unfolding of marital drama. The story tells of how a close outside friendship can threaten marriage by provoking insecurities, creating feelings of invasion of privacy, and aggravating communication barriers.
Upon reading Raymond Carver's short story of the Cathedral one will notice the literary devices used in the short story. When analyzing the story completely, one then understands the themes, motifs, metaphors, and the overall point of the piece. This leaves the reader with an appreciation of the story and a feeling of complete satisfaction.
By becoming close with Robert, the man in this story experienced what was necessary to gain an understanding of what life is like for the blind. The man began to draw the cathedral to try and help Robert visualize what one looked like. What he didn't realize at the time was that Robert was helping him to visualize what blindness felt like. Bibliography: Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral".
Instead of basing his judgement on character the narrator decided to see Robert as a blind man that was trying to have an affair with his wife. Carver uses this story “Cathedral” to open the readers eyes and send the profound message of intolerance and ignorance and how one can be blind mentally not physically. The narrator is so hostile to the idea of a visit from Robert because he is blinded by jealousy, anger, and
The narrator’s jealousy over his wife’s past is covered up by the obsession with Robert being blind. The narrator is jealous because for some reason, he does not trust any blind person Once the narrator comes to the realization that Robert and his wife are only friends, his jealousy subsides. The narrator begins to spend time with Robert, talking and genuinely getting to know his house guest. When the narrator is unable to verbally describe the Cathedral to Robert, he begins to empathize with Robert. After the narrator draws the Cathedral with his eyes closed, something starts to change the way he views life and his relationships with
In Raymond Carver’s story “Cathedral” the narrator learns what it means to “see” through someone who cannot. To see is to be able to view the things around us while putting aside preconceived notions or fear about these objects or people. In order for this to occur once must overcome what they feel is out of the ordinary and learn to accept things as they are. At first the narrator is doesn’t accept the man and uncomfortable around Robert. The narrator soon comes to understand this when he puts aside his fears, and judgments that he can see more than what meets the eye, and the freedom that comes along with this seeing.
It’s often that the most influential lessons learned in life are those that come when we least expect it. Raymond Carver’s realistic short story “Cathedral” presents a broken, disassociated narrator struggling to find meaning in his marriage, career, and himself. Extremely uncomfortable with the idea of Robert, a blind man emotionally intertwined with his wife’s past, the narrator displays his inexperience with the visionary disabled with an unusual amount of jealous backlash, revealing his deep-rooted lack of empathy in the beginning of the story. Robert, however, proves to be an extraordinary, and ironic, representation of the vision and clarity that the narrator is missing from his life. As a result, Robert works as the catalyst that helps
Constantly throughout the short story, Robert defies the narrator’s original portrayal of what he believes is a stereotypical blind man. “He also had a full beard. But he didn’t use a cane and he didn’t wear dark glasses. I’d always thought dark glasses were a must for the blind” (Carver 36). Robert also starts to change the narrator’s perception of blind people not only physically but emotionally. In an act of thoughtful accommodation, the narrator begins to describe to Robert the cathedrals on the television when the speaker of the program halts the commentary. Robert starts to slightly and gradually change the perspective that the narrator sees blind people from until the conclusion of the story when Robert shines a light on the
Redemption can be explained as gaining possession of something in exchange for payment. In order to achieve something, one must do something in return. The end result of redemption may be unknown to the person and what their payment is may be a sacrifice. This motif is relayed in the short story, “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver, by a man who gains new vision from an unlikely source.
At the beginning of the story the writer is addressed as unempathetic and at the conclusion of the story, Carver, “stops the story as soon as the narrator experiences empathy.” (McDaniel Par. 2). The importance of ending the story on this note is that the story has now served its purpose. The story shows the progression of empathy of the narrator from a prejudiced individual to a complete fulfilled man. This ending scene of the story is the two men drawing a Cathedral and when the blind man asks the narrator to close his eyes his whole viewpoint is changed. This closing of the eyes, also recognized as a lose of sight, serves as a way for the narrator to experience what the blind man experiences and look past his prejudices and ‘see’ the true beauty of the moment. Alternatively, we also see a dramatic change in the narrator’s views about Robert, which isn’t clearly stated. At the beginning the narrator reflects on his wife’s interaction with Robert touching her face and is evidently very jealous of this touch. This touching from Robert shows up again at the end of the story where “the narrator feels the blind man’s hand on his as he draws the cathedral.” (McDaniel Par. 5). This contrast shows a change in the narrator from the beginning where he believed the interaction with his wife was peculiar, but now
At first glance, one might assume Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral" illustrates the awakening of an insensitive and insulated husband to the world of a blind man. However, this literal awakening does not account for the fact that the husband awakens also to a world of religious insight, of which he has also been blind. The title and story structure are the first indicators of the importance of the religious thesis. It is also revealed when one examines the language and actions of the characters in the story. Finally, Carver’s previous and subsequent writings give an overall background for the argument that "Cathedral" has a significant religious import.
Overall, the cathedral that the narrator draws with Robert represents true sight, the ability to see beyond the surface to the true meaning that lies within. The husband’s insecurities makes him emotionally blind. His inability to see past Robert’s disability ultimately prevents him from seeing the reality of any relationship or person in the story. The husband becomes more sensitive and accepts the moment of being blind has allowed him to become a better man. Finally, the cathedral drawing ironically reveals blindness to be an important factor. As a result, Carver gives interesting lessons to powerfully assess how we can find beauty and free ourselves from prejudgments and see the real world with our minds, not only our eyes.
Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" depicted the interaction between a narrow minded husband, with a limited understanding of the world around him, and a blind visitor, named Robert, that proved to be the catalyst that dramatically changed the husband's view on the world, while they went from being strangers to becoming friends. In the beginning of the story, the husband disliked the concept of his wife bringing her blind friend over to stay since he never had met a blind person before and did not understand it. However, as the story progresses, the husband, through interaction and observation, begins to dispel his fears and misconceptions of Robert and his blindness. With the help of Robert, the husband gains a revelation that changed his view and opened his eyes to the world.