Blindness In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

On the surface, blindness gets treated just like any other major disability in our culture. However, the absence of the common ability to see can be exceptionally polarizing for both the blind and the sighted person involved. Eyesight is an exceedingly fundamental and uniting gift that has drastically shaped the way humans perceive the world and continually shape their every thought. Regrettably, this can sometimes characterize blind people as being somewhat alien to some people. They lack one of the most basic forms of common ground on which to relate. For some people, this can be an uncomfortable barrier, while others will immediately accept and cherish their company without a second thought. These are precisely the two contrasted reactions depicted in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”.

Understandably, the narrator in “Cathedral” reacts in the way most of the world would when suddenly faced with hosting a strange blind man.

Most people find the concept of being blind to nearly impossible to comprehensively fathom. Nowhere in the story does the narrator explain if Robert was either born blind or if he lost his sight somewhere during his lifetime, but either case would be an eerie and unthinkable scenario. It can be chilling to imagine living a life without ever seeing a color, light, or even your own mother’s smile. Remarkably basic privileges like being able to walk into a room instantly knowing where everything is could be something a blind person never experiences. These profound discrepancies in lifestyle and general perception can make certain people, such as the narrator, severely uncomfortable around blind people. Throughout most the story, there is a noticeable stiff and poignant atmosphere as the narrator struggles to find any commonality with this peculiar blind man in his

house.
On the contrary, the narrator's wife embodies a uniquely welcoming spirit as she enthusiastically obsesses over the blind man, clinging on to every word he speaks. Repeatedly, the story refers to the long-held friendship the two of them shared. Her extraordinary relationship with Robert even inspired her to dabble in poetry after he had asked her if he could touch her face; “She told me he touched his fingers to every part of her face, her nose—even her neck! She never forgot it” (Carver, 35). This was received in two very different ways. For the wife, it was a momentous juncture that truly touched her heart; however, the husband felt this was simply bizarre and unwarranted. There is a deep-rooted understanding shared between the wife and the blind man that made that moment genuinely beautiful. Sadly, the narrator lacks this understanding, therefore, he feels this is socially unacceptable as it would be with any other man. The wife demonstrates the tender nature in which the blind should be cared for, the narrator, on the other hand, reacts in the way most of the naïve culture would.
In conclusion, blindness symbolizes an unmistakably foreign and frightening disability in our culture. Ordinarily, people express sincere sympathy toward the blind, however, too often people elect to bypass contact with the blind to avoid any uncomfortable interactions. While they will likely never fully comprehend what it feels like dealing with that condition, that does not mean they cannot treat them with the utmost respect. The underlying message in “Cathedral” being that it is critically important that blind people such as Robert have access to the same exact welcoming love any other person would receive. The narrator learns to find common ground with Robert in the astounding beauty of Gothic Cathedrals. As they both close their eyes and begin a masterful etching of a grand cathedral they are both brought to the same place and operate as equals. For the first time, they both effectively understand one another the same way the wife could. In a culture that tends to treat blindness with a cold disdain, “Cathedral” teaches the way of acceptance and unity.