Carvers Cathedral
Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” and Carver’s Cathedral provide insight into parallel words. The protagonists in each story are trapped in a world of ignorance because each is comfortable in the dark, and fearful of what knowledge a light might bring. They are reluctant to venture into unfamiliar territory. Fortunately the narrator in the Cathedral is forced by circumstances to take a risk. This risk leads him into new world of insight and understanding.
The narrator in “The Cathedral” begins the story with the issue of hesitation in seeing the light. The light in this story just like the light in Plato’s “Myth of the Cave” represents reality. The narrator expresses the fear of expressing reality when he said “ I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me. 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 look forward to”. (Page 98). The narrator felt that being blind was like being in a type of prison and the preconceived notion of self-imprisonment was frightening to him. He felt that blindness was exactly like being a prisoner in Plato’s Cave, a scary world where no light ever penetrated. Unfortunately, the husband is imprisoned in his own ignorance. His view of blindness had come from Hollywood’s portrayal of blind people. As far as he is concerned, his situation is completely normal. He knows there are lots of people just like him.
In “The Cathedral” the extent of the husband’s ignorance or naiveté is extremely irritating. When his wife tells him the beautiful story of the blind man’s romantic relationship with his wife Beulah, all he could think of is “ What a pitiful life this woman must have led. Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one. A woman who could on day after day and never see the smallest compliment from her beloved. A woman whose husband could never read the expression on her face, be it misery or something better”. (Page 100). But the blind man had sight in the form of intuitiveness. This sight gave him greater vision than the sighted man.
The blind man had a sense of and source of reality in the truth and strength of the relationship. This man was unlike the prisoners in the cav...
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... when he closes his eyes in order to imagine and draw the cathedral. ”Close your eyes now, the blind man said to me. I did it. I closed them just like he said. Are they closed? He said. Don’t fudge. They are closed, I said. Keep them that way, he said. He said, don’t stop now. Draw. So we kept on with it. His fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was nothing else in my life up to now. Then he said, I think that’s it. I think you got it, he said. Take a look. What do you think? But I had my eyes closed. I thought I would keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do. Well, he said. Are you looking? My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But, I didn’t feel like I was inside anything. It’s really something I said”. (Page 108). By becoming blind he sees clearly how the blind man’s world really is. Being temporarily blind opens his eyes to the world around him. He can understand the handicap, with understanding comes compassion, and the compassion has caused him to develop new insight into the world around him. Interaction with the blind man has allowed him to see, and has removed him from his own personal cave.
The theme in the story of being able to see without sight is revealed through the characters in the story "Cathedral." The husband is very judgmental, self-centered and shows a lack of knowledge about blind people. This is obvious when he states, "My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind move slowly and never laugh (1152). The husband is so quick to judge and thinks he already knows everything about blind people and how they are, so he makes it clear he was not looking forward to the blind man being in his house ...
In the beginning of the story “Cathedral”, the narrator is unhappy that Robert will be coming to visit him and his wife because he discriminates those who are blind. Before Robert comes over, the narrator admits that Robert “being blind bothered him” and that his “idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the ...
The short story “Cathedral'; includes three characters. These characters include the narrator, his wife, and her blind friend Robert. Early into the story, the narrator expresses that he possesses many stereotypes, these stereotypes keep him “blind'; from the true reality of blind people. The narrator says “My idea of blindness came from the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs.'; This explains where the narrator originally gains his misconceptions of blind people. The narrator’s wife tells him that Robert will be visiting for the weekend. Once Robert arrives at their home, the narrator is shocked to find out that Robert doesn’t wear dark glasses, carry a cane, and is wearing a full beard. Throughout the story some of the narrator’s stereotypes are erased. Howeve...
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.
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.
The narrator is told by his wife that she is having her blind friend come spend a night at their house. His wife had just passed and is a very good friend with the wife and wants the blind man to come stay with them. The narrator is not very happy about the blind man coming to visit and asks the wife where she met him and to talk more about. She explains that she worked for him, she read to him. When the blind man pulls up, the narrator is already being judgmental and prejudiced towards the blind man. He does not even the slightest open mind about meeting this man that his wife has such a good relationship with. In the story Cathedral, Raymond Carver uses metaphoric symbols, an object title, and a dialect style to get across the message that you cannot judge someone you have never met and the difference between looking and seeing things in a different perspective.
The narrator, or storyteller, of Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral" opens by saying, "This blind man, an old friend of my wife's, he was on his way to spend the night." The narrator goes on to explain that after the blind man's wife died while visiting her relatives in nearby Connecticut, he had called the narrator's wife from his in-laws' and made arrangements to visit. The narrator admits he is not excited about the visit. "He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me. 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."
The dynamic protagonist in Raymond Carter’s, Cathedral, is scared of having a blind man, who is the antagonist in this story, come and stay in his home. I am of the view that the protagonists fear is due to his lack of exposure to someone who is blind and he does not know what to expect. In the following paragraphs I will lead you through the change of the husband’s attitude toward the blind man.
In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator creates a connection with the blind man. He not only overcomes stereotypes, but also conquers his own blindness to the world around him. His whole perspective of blind men changes when he is told to close his own eyes and draw a cathedral with Robert (the blind man), therefore leading him to overcome his own “blindness”.
Vision is an ability that is more generally referred to as someone who can see physical objects but the true meaning of vision may have different interpretations. As we see in the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator originally interprets blindness as a disability, but by the end of the story, blindness is construed only as an obstacle that lacks the ability to interfere with seeing true beauty. In the story “Cathedral”, Carver shows that blindness is only a title given to those without the physical ability to see but in this story the blind man represents a different way of seeing. The ending of the story also allows for a reconciliation for the narrator as his viewpoints on the blind and his character change dramatically.
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.
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.
In both stories the main characters were disengaged. In “Cathedral” The husband was disengaging with his wife he mention he found himself thinking what a “pitiful live” the blind man’s lived, he says:
Currently in today’s society, coming out as gay is easier than admitting to a serious mental problem. This effect puts a burden on teens who suffer from problems and don’t know where to go; which led to the increase of teen suicides as seen in the media. In the average classroom size, about three of the twenty-four students have depression; not mentioning other common disorders such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder, ADHD, conduct disorder, and eating disorders. Without better programs in schools to prevent and inform about mental disorders, the current taboo on them, the bullying of students suffering, and the romanticization of diseases will continue to increase the negative effect mental disorders have on teens.
The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to cause a person enough mental stress that they would take their own life. This is always unfortunate, but in the case of young individuals it borders on unthinkable. Older LGBT individuals do not tend to fair much better either seeing as they were raised in generations who were stricter on what was considered proper and morally right. All this being said, even as the culture of the world shifts to more accepting LGBT individuals their mental health is something that is only now being looked at thoroughly.