Allie Davis
Professor Tomanek
English 120-1:30
22 September 2014
Change in Character; Evaluating Human Behavior in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”
Humans have natural capacity to judge their own species and a history of ostracizing members of their own into unfavorable categories both in physical and mental ways. Although governments around the world have stood up for equality and made laws that prohibit segregation, humans continue to make negative judgments and treat people unfairly based on them. In his short story “Cathedral” Raymond Carver suggests the idea that naturally judgmental humans lack insight until an experience similar to the narrator’s allow them to become vulnerable, gain perspective, and grow as a person. Humans naturally create
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Certain judgments are harmless, such as remembering one by an article of clothing that stands out, while other judgments prove ones character is flawed. In “Cathedral”, the narrator is portrayed as very insensitive when he mocks his wife’s poem about an experience she had with Robert when he touched her face. He says “I didn’t think much of the poem. Of course, I didn’t tell her that” (Cathedral 210). This shows that he lacks insight and understanding of even his own wife. If the narrator can’t even connect with his wife’s feelings, it is inferred that he also has trouble connecting with others feelings as well. In a similar instance, when the narrator’s wife educates him about Robert’s wife’s passing he says, “Her name was Beulah. Beulah! That’s a name for a colored woman” (Cathedral 210). This highlights the narrator’s lack of perspective, as a sympathetic response would not have involved the origin of her name, but rather how the deceased spouse was handling the loss. Soon after, the narrator further proves his insensitivity to both his wife’s thoughts and Robert’s situation when he says “Right then my wife filled me in with more detail than I cared to know” (Cathedral 213). The author suggests that a dramatic change occurs after Robert and the narrator draw the cathedral by choosing the narrators closing words to be “It’s really something” (Cathedral 228). Because of this and the fact that he actively participates in the cathedral drawing, reader infers that the narrator truly does change his attitude towards Robert and perhaps his perspective on life as
The significance of the final scene in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is important because illustrates how people with a negative demeanor can develop into a person with a positive attitude towards others. In the story, Bub not only falsely assumes bad things about blind people, but also about others as well. For example, he assumes that Roberts wife is a “negro” woman because her name was Beulah. The things that Bub assumes about Robert and Beulah resemble Bub’s negative attitude and personality toward the blind man and Beulah. Towards the end of the story, as Bub and Robert were watching television, the show featured a particular Cathedral. Robert asked Bub to describe the Cathedral when Robert says, “I wish you’d do it. I’d like that. If you
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.
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.
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.
In the short story Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, there is a direct contrast between a blind man named Robert, and the narrator. The narrator has full use of his senses, and yet he is limited to the way he sees things, and the way he thinks. Robert however, has a very different outlook on life and how he sees things, as well as the use of his senses. At the end of the story, Robert has the narrator close his eyes to try and get him to experience the world the way he does. The narrator ends up being able to not only see the way Robert does, but he also is able to feel the world in a completely different way. The author suggests that the mind is most important in how people view things, and the judgements we make are based on what we see in our heads, instead of what is really there.
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.
Carver’s the “Cathedral” to Hopper’s Ground Swell. The short story, “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver and the painting, Ground Swell by Edward Hopper, are similar in certain aspects, even though they take place in different settings. There is major conflict in each piece of art that creates confusion in the tone. The “Cathedral” is a first person story, but the narrator remains 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.
The short story of the “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver shows the narrator as the main character of the story whose name is never mentioned. The narrator’s wife’s name is never mentioned as well, and her friend who is a blind man is coming to visit after losing his wife whose name is Robert. In the beginning of the story, the narrator shows that he is an excessive drinker and feels emotionally disconnected from his wife and his wife is excited about her friends visit, Robert. This kind of emotion makes him uneasy but doesn’t know why and because he knows that Robert is blind, he feels like he is better than him. Imagine having to meet a long time old friend of your spouse of the opposite sex who they a special friendship with and whom you haven’t
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.
Raymond Carter is the author of a short story titled “Cathedral”. This story is set approximately a few decades ago in southern rural America, and is about a husband, his wife, and her best friend Robert who will be coming to visit them in their home. Throughout the story however, the narrator will encounter a few instances that will make him rethink not only the way he acts, but his way of life all together.
What makes a brotherhood, and how does the short story "Cathedral” relates to brotherhood? In the “Cathedral”, Robert and the Narrator connect over a drawing. The drawing help changes the outcome of the Narrator thoughts of blind people. "Cathedral" helps us understand brotherhood and how you don 't have to be blood-related to join a brotherhood. In the "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, you can experience a newly form brotherhood by two completely opposite characters who are able to form an alliance. The Narrator lacks awareness of others, but with Robert’s help, the Narrator is able to finally see the world in from a different point of view, and this opens him up to create a bond with Robert. In "Cathedral", you see the unity between two men,
In Cathedrals, the narrator starts his journey to enlightenment once the blind man enters the house. The first step towards the narrator’s understanding is when he learns that Robert smokes. The narrator believed in a misconception that blind people did not smoke because they are unable to see the smoke. However this was disproved when Robert smoked his cigarette. This caused the narrator to feel more connected to the blind man, because even though Robert was different, they both had a similarity. The second step, that shows the narrator’s change in perspective, occurred when they ate dinner. This scene alludes to The Last Supper, because of the wine, bread, and prayer. This also shows that the narrator’s disposition is slowly transfiguring. The final step towards the narrator’s epiphany is when Robert asks him to explain what a cathedral is. After the narrator draws the cathedral on the paper, Robert tells him to close his eyes. This act forces the narrator to experience what Robert experiences every day. The narrator not only sympathizes with Robert for the first time, but he truly understands that being different is not bad. In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, the grandmother experiences an epiphany as well. While she is trying to explain to the Misfit that he actually is a good man, she realizes the flaws that she possesses. At the end of the story the grandmother cries out, “‘why, you’re one of my
As I walked up the street toward the front of Grace Cathedral, I was in awe at the size and ornateness of this cathedral. It was tall and wide and looked very much like the churches we had been studying in class in the prior weeks. As I got closer and closer I began to make out The Ghiberti Doors, also known as the gates of paradise. These are the main cathedral doors made out of bronze, and are replicas of the originals which stood centuries ago at the east entrance to the Baptistry of Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) Italy. I approached and spent about fifteen minutes, just examining all the different engraved scenes within the ten sections in the two doors. After I had finished looking at the Ghiberti Doors, I entered through one of the side doors, since you are not able to use the Ghiberti Doors, because they weight too much. Before I stepped inside the cathedral, I pulled out my text analysis and read over it, so that when I entered I could examine whether or not this cathedral exuded the same sacredness as the cathedral in the text analysis. I feel this Cathedral really does exude not entirely the purity of heaven, but does seem to somewhat separate you from the outer world, as Abbot Suger spoke of. Also, it brings in some of the surrounding beauty from St. Denis, such as the sapphire and stained glass, as well as the gold plating.