The short story “Cathedral” is written with the written technique called “show don’t tell”. The symbol of this way of writing is an iceberg. When it comes to icebergs just 10% is visible the rest are underneath the water and are unseen. The reader is only introduced to a bit of information the remaining 90% the reader has to come up with on his own: ‘’I finished my drink, rinsed the glass, dried my hands. Then I went to the door.’’ If you look deeper than the 10% this quoted passage shows that the narrator is drinking but he does not want his wife to find out about it possibly because he has a drinking problem. The quote furthermore shows that Richard Carver uses minimalism and writes in an everyday language. The narrator comments on almost …show more content…
The narrator is not a religious man. He even makes fun Christianity: “”Now let us pray” […]. My wife looked at me, her mouth agape. “Pray the phone won’t ring and the food doesn’t get cold””. The word agape has a double meaning. It does not only mean that her mouth is open but it also means a love feast that is similar to the Holy Communion. The dinner scene which the quote is from cannot be anymore far from the Holy Communion. The dinner scene is savage and almost animal where the Holy Communion is sacred and pure. The narrator can therefore not be seen as a Christian but he when he is drawing the cathedral he gets an epiphany. An epiphany is something a lot of people seek ought in a cathedral because of its closeness to God. The cathedral is therefore not a symbol for Christianity but the realization you can get in a cathedral. In the beginning the narrator is narrow-minded and he is not happy about that he should spend time with a blind man but in the end he changes: “But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything “it’s really something” I said.” The narrator connects with Robert and he can put himself in his place. He gets insight on how wonderful the world can be when you can “see” other people’s physical flaws but are blind to them. The narrator gains confidence and a new friend in
Carver writes about three different characters with a focus on the development of the narrator himself. Although the reader never know her name, the narrator’s wife plays a small role in the story. She introduces the reader to the blind man. When the wife is in the room with both of the men, things seem to go wrong between the two men. The narrator seems to be almost nervous and upset with the wife for paying so much attention to the blind
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.
The narrator in Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral" is not a particularly sensitive man. I might describe him as self-centered, superficial, and egotistical. And while his actions certainly speak to these points, it is his misunderstanding of the people and the relationships presented to him in this story which show most clearly his tragic flaw: while Robert is physically blind, it is the narrator who cannot clearly see the world around him.
“Cathedral,” a short story written by Raymond Carver, presents an intriguing story of an ignorant man 's lesson. During this story, Carver 's working class characters are crushed by broken marriages, financial issues, and fulfilling jobs, but they are frequently unable to understand or communicate their own sufferings. However, the main story consists of the narrator, known as “Bub,” facing an internal conflict about a blind man named Robert staying the night in his home. Regardless of the fact that this blind man is his wife 's long time friend, the narrator cannot find himself comfortable with such an idea because of his extreme prejudices. Although, despite the narrator’s conflict he finds himself connecting to Robert on a more personal
The “Cathedral” is a first person story, but the narrator remained unnamed throughout the writing. This is a different point of view than the painting, which is first person, Ground Swell pictures individuals on a sailboat looking at a buoy floating in the ocean. As the viewer of Ground Swell we can only wonder what else is around the sailboat, whether they are near land or by a dock, it leaves us with a feeling of unknowing. In the
Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story "Cathedral." From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wife's friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story.
... 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 confusion.
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.
...h it emotionally detached without the pleasure of living. In the end, when the narrator has his eyes closed drawing the cathedral, he is the most open he has even been to the world. The narrator’s limited point of view in the story was crucial in showing the reader that what will hold you back the most in life are your biases and judgments. If the story was told in Robert’s point of view, it would have been a joyful story about visiting a long time friend, even with the tragedy of his wife’s death. We would have never known of the prejudices that were held inside the husband, and no true theme would have come from the story. The limited point of view was used in a way that expanded upon the theme even more, and made for a stronger story structure.
... on his interaction and communication with others. In terms of the tone of the story, it seemingly conveys the positive messages. In Cathedral, instead of monologue as in A Clean Well-lighted Place, the narrator is more likely talking to us, trying to keep us amused and engaged. Underneath the wisecracks, readers can hear a tone of sincerity and positive attitudes towards life. Though the narrator makes jokes of the blind man initially, he shows respect and do what Robert asks him to do as the story continues.
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
“Cathedral” consists of three individuals. The narrator is the main character, which the story revolves around. The wife of the narrator is the second character, who is the least relevant. The third character is the blind man, named Robert, who is a friend of the wife.
Raymond’s Carver is an American writer that wrote the short story, “Cathedral,” that uses a first person point of view narration in which the narrator fundamentally transforms and is enlightened with a self-realization. The story transitions in a change in the tone of the narrator as being sarcastic, judgmental, and insulting in which he experiences an epiphany and has a brighter perception. The story begins with the feeling of apprehension of the gathering of his wife’s friend Robert who is legally blind. The narrator feels threatened and has negative perceptions about the blind man. Robert’s ordinary behavior fascinates the narrator’s stereotype label of individuals that are blind. Even though Robert is legally blind, he is able to comprehend
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, it tells of how a blind man is open to new experiences and how he views the world compared to the husband (narrator) who is blinded by the material things of life. The husband is given the gift of sight but the true gift comes from seeing the cathedral. At the beginning of the story, the husband’s outlook on others is filled with stereotypes, discrimination, insecurities and prejudice. After interacting with Robert, his wife's friend, his outlook begins to change significantly.
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.