The characters are transformed by an outsider in the three stories “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri and “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Robert in “Cathedral” has altered the view of the narrator who’s vision now seeks beyond the physical surface of objects. Mr. Kapasi’s point of view concerning Mrs.Das changes throughout the story in “Interpreter of Maladies”. Esteban in “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” had a great impact on the villagers.
The narrator’s view changed by the blind man in “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver. The narrator had many interpretations of blind people. The narrator assumed blind people wear dark glass which Robert did not have. He thought blind people cannot smoke because they cannot see the smoke. Robert was already smoking cigarettes. Once he offered a joint to Robert, he gladly accepted and began smoking with the narrator. His wife mentioned Robert’s wife to her husband. “They were married, lived and worked together, had sex…and then he had to bury her. All this without seeing what the woman looked like. It was beyond my
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Kapasi felt insulted that Mrs. Das should ask him to interpret her common, trivial little secret.” revealed in the story “Interpreters of Maladies”. Mrs. Das only spoken to Mr. Kapasi because she assumed he can cure her but Mr. Kapasi turned down her request, informing her that she is feeling guilt, not pain. Mr. Kapasi then saw how unimportant he became right after that situation, Mrs. Das didn’t even insult him after realizing he’s not worth the time. Mr. Kapasi assumed she wasn’t capable of adultery because of her descendants. Because both marriages had similar minor problems such as silence and bickering here and there, Mr.Kapasi thought Mrs. Das would be able to fill in what was missing from his marriage. But once he discovered her true reason why her marriage is falling apart, he wanted nothing more with his
The speaker's relationship with her husband had to go over a few changes. At first, she did not want anything to do with her husband, she was still fourteen years old consequently feeling unready on handling such a big responsibility, but she had no other choice but to stay with him as she was a part of an arranged marriage. Later on, the speaker accepts her relationship with her husband and
Her emptiness toward her husband may be seen in the way she interacts with him. She
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.
Therefore, at first she was doing it with the purpose of getting revenge on him, but at the end her confidence was affecting her. She was getting attention from many men and that felt her been special, because it seems that she wasn’t getting attention from her husband. Difalco’s husband seems to be a “hard working man” who does not have time to spend with the family. At the end she discover the type of man that she married, and she did not continue talking online because Difalco is not like her husband.
The short story, “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver, is about a blind man who changes the way the narrator views life by giving him some insight on how he sees things. The characters in this short story are constantly developing into better versions of themselves by sharing their insights with one another.
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, the main character, goes through a major personal transformation. At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. Through interaction with his wife's blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes. Although at first he seemed afraid to associate with a blind man, Robert's outgoing personality left him with virtually no choice. During Robert's visit, he proved to be a normal man, and showed the speaker that by closing his eyes, he could open his mind.
The narrator in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" has two fully functional eyes, in which he chooses never to use to their full potential. The eyes of the narrator are biased, insecure, jealous, and very limited in what they choose to see. This inability to see is made apparent when he is forced to meet and converse with a blind man. The narrator's perception of the world around him, and blurred vision, is resolved by a great irony in the story when Roger helps the narrator see past his prejudice outlook on life. The blind man teaches the narrator how to see.
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
Raymond Carver, in his short story Cathedral uses a first-person narrator, whose point of view is very much limited and flawed. The narrator in Cathedral has full use of all his senses, unlike the blind man, Robert, who is introduced very early in the story. When comparing the two again, however, Robert is the character that is open to new ideas and willing to experience the joys of life, while the narrator limits himself due to his close-minded thinking. It brings up the question, who is truly blind in the story? Is it a physical ailment or a mental block? The narrator is never given a name in the story, making him the most impersonal character in the story. This also adds to the fact that the narrator is highly ignorant about his surroundings and has a one-sided, self-absorbed view of the world. The perception of the narrator leaves much to be inferred in many points in the story, and at first, it seems pointless to have such a closed off character and the one telling his point of view. I would like to hear the story from the wife’s point of view or Robert’s. Ultimately, however, the limited point of view of the narrator shows where the true ignorance in the world lies.
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.
The narrator doesn't know what to expect of the blind man other than what he has learned by a society of how a blind man should look, act, walk and talk. When the narrator and Robert meet, the narrator is shocked that Robert looks normal. By the end of the story, Carver writes about how the blind man, Robert, helps the narrator. Robert a blind man, helps remove the roiled blinders that have kept the narrator from seeing beyond the limits he and society have put in front of him.
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
In Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," the husband's view of blind men is changed when he encounters his wife's long time friend, Robert. His narrow minded views and prejudice thoughts of one stereotype are altered by a single experience he has with Robert. The husband is changed when he thinks he personally sees the blind man's world. Somehow, the blind man breaks through all of the husband's jealousy, incompetence for discernment, and prejudgments in a single moment of understanding.
When Robert realises that Cathedrals are meaningless for the narrator like everything else. Then he decides to draw with him the Cathedral. The narrator is much blinder than Robert, maybe he can see things, but he is incapable to understand and notice the deeper meaning of them. Robert is blind, but he sees everything on a deeper level than the narrator. Robert understands people and their feelings because he really listens to them.
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.