Irony In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

John Malcolm
Prof. Winters
English 123
31 January 2016

A blind man taught me how to see.

Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is a short story chock-full of irony. The story is presented from the point of view of the narrator, a jealous and somewhat bitter man, who remains nameless throughout. He is a man who has perfect eyesight, yet it is not until he meets a blind man, that he truly learns how to ‘see’.
The Narrator comes across as a jealous and petty man. This can be seen especially when he is talking of his wife’s past. His wife made an attempt to take her own life, yet when he is narrating this, he seems to brush over the severity of what happened, and gets more caught up interrupting himself to make jealous remarks about his wife’s ex-husband, “Her officer – why should he

have a name? he was the childhood sweetheart, and what more does he want?”. This pettiness and jealousy begin to paint a picture of the narrator’s character and the unhappiness he seems to be living with.
Furthermore, the narrator is extremely jealous of Robert, who is an old friend of his wife’s.

When the narrator first introduces Robert he refers to him simply and somewhat rudely as “This blind man”. He narrates in quite a bitter tone when speaking of the relationship his wife and Robert had in the past, seemingly jealous of the connection they shared, for it is one deeper and more meaningful than the relationship the narrator shares with his wife. He feels pity for Robert’s wife, Beulah, as he fails to comprehend the bond that was shared between the two of them. The narrator’s own wife describes them as being “inseparable”, yet the narrator cannot understand a relationship being anything more than skin deep. It is ironic that Robert, being blind, is able to ‘see’ on a much deeper level and take away a greater understanding than the narrator, who has perfect eyesight. This is also shown when the narrator describes Robert touching his wife’s face, he seems convinced that she let him do something sexual to her when she “let him run his hands over her face”, as the narrator is again unable to understand the deeper meaning of things, in this case that touch may be intimate without being

sexual.
However, the narrator is not all bad. His character does grow throughout the story. As the story goes on the unhappiness of the narrator’s life is brought out giving some understanding to why he acts as he does. This can be seen in his drinking problems and the fact that his wife says he doesn’t “have any friends”. The narrator’s life lacks true meaning, that is, until he gets over his prejudice and listens to Robert. The narrator, in spite of his discomfort and jealousy, begins to help Robert and tries to make him feel somewhat at home. The narrator begins to enjoy Robert’s company and when he decides to draw the cathedral with Robert that is when his life truly changes for the better.
Robert, a man who is totally blind, teaches the narrator how to ‘see’ in all of it’s meanings. By putting aside all of his jealously, pettiness and prejudice, the narrator has a moment where he finds happiness and meaning. He is struck so profoundly by this moment, that he does not want to open his eyes and return to reality, “I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer”. He has gained a deeper understanding of himself and his life.

Works Cited

Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner et al. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2012. 299 – 311. Print.