Through a blind man, both the reader and the narrator of Cathedral discover how merely looking with your eyes and really seeing are two very different things. The blind man, Robert, though not able to physically see, has a more detailed and more understanding view of the world than the narrator does. This narrator, whom we know only as the nameless husband, views life in a shallow, superficial way. As the story goes on, it becomes clear who has the more comprehensible vision of life and of the world. Before Robert even arrives at the house, it is easy to tell that the husband is an incredibly prejudice man. When he hears that his wife has invited a blind guy over to his house, he is not happy in the least. He instead begins to think about the bizarre stereotypes which he believes come with being blind and reveals his ignorance through statements like, “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.” He already begins to judge the man without ever having met him, and when Robert walks in the door, he becomes surprised that he doesn’t fit his stereotypical ideas. “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.” He continues to watch him, however, critically studying his appearance and mannerisms. It almost seems as if he believes the blind man does not have the right to certain things merely because he cannot physically see the world as he can. As the night wears on, however, Robert continues to put certain of the husband’s ideas to rest. During dinner the narrator watches with admiration as the he uses the knife and fork on his meat. "He'd ... ... middle of paper ... ...freedom. Only then does he feel a sort of closeness when Robert’s hand is on top of his. As he continues to draw this cathedral with his eyes unopened, he becomes more and more inspired, using his imagination, leaving his old narrow-minded state behind. “My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.” Through this experience he is able to be outside of his old self—the attitude that had held him back. Robert asks if his eyes are open. They are, but it doesn’t feel like it anymore. He takes a look at the world around him with his new-found sight and says, “It’s really something.” The reader cannot be sure the narrator’s attitude will continue to remain over time, but it would be hard for him to go back to what he once was. Never in his life, I imagine, had he dreamed he would learn how to see from a blind man.
The blind man is appealing to readers because of the fact that he proves to be a good friend and listener to the narrator’s wife. The wife and blind man have kept in touch by exchanging audio tapes over the years. The wife feels comfortable sharing all aspects of her life with him. The husband expands on this by saying “She and I began going out, and of course she told her blind man about it” (5). This quote proves that the blind man provides a sense of comfort to the wife who cannot find the same sense of security in her own husband. The blind man is friendly and makes an attempt to befriend the husband even though he is consistently rude to him. The blind man tells the narrator he will stay up with him to talk even after his wife has gone to sleep. He says he feels “like me and her monopolized the evening” (83). The blind man respectfully says to the narrator “[y]ou’re my host” and wants to be fair and make sure the husband doesn’t feel left out during his visit (102). He is also very understanding and patient with the husband. This characteristic is especially proven when the narrator tries, but fails at explaining the appearance of a cathedral to the blind man. He apologizes for not doing a good job. The blind man understands and reassures him by saying “I get it, bub. It’s okay. It happens. Don’t worry about it” (110). He is aware that his
Carver provides an easy, visual outlook of the protagonist throughout the short story, which helps keep a better understanding during the simple yet intense experience. As the story continues, the protagonist enhances his mood as he aids Robert to visualizing a cathedral. This experience creates an impact on others because it is a great reason why one should never judge someone for something beyond their control. Also, helping someone, as Robert does for Bub, can be a life changing experience. Despite the blind man being physically blind, the husband is the one with the disability to see from someone else’s perspective.
“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.
The narrator's insensitivity reveals itself early in the story when his wife's blind friend, Robert, comes for a visit after the death of his wife. Almost immediately in the beginning of the story the narrator admits "A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to." [Carver 2368] He even goes so far as to suggest to his wife that he take the man bowling. He hears the story of Robert's dead wife and can not even imagine " what a pitiful life this woman must have led." [Carver 2370] The narrator is superficial, only recognizing the external part of people and not recognizing the value of a person on the inside.
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.
By becoming close with Robert, the man in this story experienced what was necessary to gain an understanding of what life is like for the blind. The man began to draw the cathedral to try and help Robert visualize what one looked like. What he didn't realize at the time was that Robert was helping him to visualize what blindness felt like. Bibliography: Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral".
Carver’s purpose of having the narrator of the short story use imagery allows for the reader to be able to understand each and every moment he lives while explaining the blind man’s, Robert, visit to his home. In Cathedral, the narrator tells the story very detailed and descriptive. For instance, when the narrator describes his wife’s arrival with Robert, “I saw my wife laughing as she parked the car. I saw her get out of the car and shut the door…She went around to the other side of the car to where the blind man was already starting to get out…he was wearing a full beard!” Here, the author makes the narrator describe the scene and details it as if he is describing it to a blind person. Most of the short story uses imagery which makes clear images in the reader’s mind to unders...
In Raymond Carver’s story “Cathedral” the narrator learns what it means to “see” through someone who cannot. To see is to be able to view the things around us while putting aside preconceived notions or fear about these objects or people. In order for this to occur once must overcome what they feel is out of the ordinary and learn to accept things as they are. At first the narrator is doesn’t accept the man and uncomfortable around Robert. The narrator soon comes to understand this when he puts aside his fears, and judgments that he can see more than what meets the eye, and the freedom that comes along with this seeing.
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.
His discomfort was revealed when Robert and his wife were sharing their experiences “about the major things that had come to pass for them in the past ten years” (367). He felt it was necessary to join in because he thought Robert would “think [he] left the room and didn’t want [his wife] to think [he] was feeling left out” (367). It is obvious the husband is overly involved with Robert’s disability and fails to see him as a person with his own thoughts and ideas. As the story progresses, the husband’s attitude towards Robert changes. During dinner, he “watched with admiration as [Robert] used his knife and fork” (366) on a piece of meat.
...ns up to new possibilities: "Never thought anything like this could happen in your lifetime, did you bub? Well, it's a strange life, we all know that"(P729). This quote shows the narrators limited view on life. By drawing the cathedral with Robert, the narrator's views are expanded and he experiences a revelation. The narrator realizes that he must let go of his insecurity and mental acts of jealousy.
Robert tells the narrator to find some heavy paper and pencils so they can draw a cathedral together. As they drew Robert tells the narrator to close his eyes. There was a connection made between Robert and the narrator and he says, "it was like nothing else in my life up to now." Robert tells him to open his eyes, but he doesn?t because he doesn?t want the experience to end.
One example that shows that the husband is "blind" is shown in the beginning of the story before Robert arrives to his home. When the husband and wife talk about Robert, the husband usually refers to him as "This blind man..." (Carver 237). The narrator never uses Robert’s name when referring to him. This shows that the husband does not really see Robert as a person, but just as a blind man who is different because of his disability to physically see. When Robert arrives to the house, the husband does not know what to say to him. The husband asks questions that would normally be unacceptable to ask a blind person about the view from the train. “Which side of the train did you sit on?” (240). The husband knows that Robert cannot see the view, but he asks him rude questions anyway. The husband also thinks to himself, "I didn’t know what to say to that,” (242). This is a clear indication that the narrator does not know how to relate to Robert. Both of these quotations show that the husband does not know what to talk about with Robert becau...
...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.
Throughout the initial as well as the middle part of the story, the narrator is ignorantly disdainful towards the disability of Robert while at the same time unmindful of the limitations in his own sight. Though, he can clearly use his eyesight and is fully capable of utilizing his eyes, he is unaware of the limitation placed by him on himself. In the beginning of the story, it can be observed that something us troubling the narrator by the imminent visit of Robert. Though, the reasons are unclear to him. His inability to be aware of the limitations also makes him unable to desire something greater in life. However, as Robert arrives at the premise and joins the narrator and his wife, he impresses the narrator with his acts as he doesn’t seem