Raymond Carver’s, Cathedral, opens eyes not by seeing, but by creating a sense of understanding by enhancing the importance of perspective. Carver introduces a character by the name of Robert, a blind man who teaches the narrator to reconsider the meaning of sight by acknowledging the beauty of the unknown. Robert from Cathedral, defies the meaning of sight, by subtly educating the narrator that life is not about what is seen, but about the significance of events and experiences.
Robert is seen as an unwanted presence. Robert himself, is an indirect message to overlook the physical appearance of an object and focus on its deeper meaning. Robert is referred to as a blind man in his “late forties, a heavy-set, balding man with stooped shoulders,”
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(Carver 36). The appearance of Robert soon becomes unimportant, as the narrator and the audience are introduced to the quality and meaning of Robert. The narrator learns that to find the importance of an object, you have to study its purpose and what it stands for. When the narrator throws his assumptions to the side, he is able to overcome his arrogance and see who Robert really is. Robert is an unlikely presence, that helps build the levels of knowledge for the readers and the narrator.
He says, “I’m always learning. Learning never ends. It won’t hurt me to learn something tonight. I got ears,” (Carver 39). In this exact moment, Robert helps take down a wall that the narrator has, and he welcomes him to the world of listening and taking in information. Robert then asks the narrator if he can fetch paper and a pen. The narrator does so, and he helps lead Robert in a drawing of the cathedral. When the drawing has a base, Robert asks the narrator to close his eyes and continue drawing the cathedral. The narrator does so, and when the blind man tells him to open his eyes and look at the final product, he doesn’t. This experience allowed the narrator to indirectly see the world through Roberts eyes, and he learns that image is not important. According to Short Stories for Students written by Ed Akers, “In ‘Cathedral’ the narrator experiences such a flash of insight in the last few lines of the story. With his eyes closed and with the blind man’s hand on his own, he suddenly ‘sees’ the cathedral he has been attempting to draw. What he sees, however, is far greater than the image under his hand,” (Akers). The meaning and significance of the events, and experiences that he has had in his life, add up to be more symbolic than anything that is seen through the …show more content…
eye. Robert develops the narrators look on life when he says, “The men who began their life’s work on them [the cathedrals], they never lived to see the completion of their work.
In that wise, bub, they’re no different from the rest of us, right?”, (Carver 40). The influence Robert has on the narrator, is metaphorically his life’s work. Without knowing it, Robert touches the lives of those around him, while revealing the greater meaning of life and sight. Robert helps his companions understand that the image of places, events, and experiences, does not overcome the greater meaning behind them. In teaching others this message, he resembles the builders of cathedrals. Robert is not fully able to see how his words and actions, help build those around him and broaden their knowledge of the world. Robert is the builder of the cathedrals in the mind. He uses his perspective to teach those around him, which in turn builds “cathedrals of knowledge” in the
mind. In the end, Robert leads the narrator to think about what he is missing by just looking at things, and by overlooking the meaning of them. Robert also leaves the audience with a sort of real sense and connection about what it must be like to live with clouded eyes, and how there is beauty in the unknown. Beauty comes with imagination, which is how Robert sees the world, by using his imagination. Imagination ultimately leads the narrator to peace, and washes away his misconceptions of the world and sight.
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.
These audiotapes represent a distinguished type of communication that requires no visual interaction, but an interface that involves understanding and empathy instead, something the narrator has not yet learned. At this point of the story the narrator believes that Robert could not have possibly fulfilled his now deceased wife’s, Beulah’s, aspirations as seen when he states, “I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led,” (37). The narrator bases his reason solely on the fact that the man is blind, so how could he have ever interacted or contributed in their relationship. In reality, though, it is the narrator himself, who has not fully satisfied or even begun to fully appreciate his own wife. The audiotapes symbolize this absence of appreciation and reveals to the reader that the narrator has not even considered this “harmless chitchat,” (36) as he describes it, to be of importance to his own marriage. It is not until the end, when he finishes drawing the cathedral that he is capable of understanding what his wife and Robert share. The cathedral is the other major symbol in this story, since it is the pivotal turning point for when the narrator becomes a dynamic character. Without the cathedral the narrator would not have succumbed to his new acceptance of what it means to actually see someone or something. When the narrator says, “I didn’t feel like I was inside anything,” (46) this is the indication of that epiphany coming to him. Moments before, the narrator had just explained to Robert that he did not “believe in it [religion]. In anything,” (45) however, this insightful moment now contradicts that statement, supporting the notion that the narrator has advanced as a character. Furthermore, a cathedral, which is assumed to bring solace and a new light to those in pursuit of one, offered the
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.
The fact that Robert is blind is stated quite frequently in this story. Even though we know he has a visual handicap, he is very open minded. The narrator however, can see just fine, but is very close minded. The close mindedness seems to be more of a problem for the narrator than Robert’s blindness. The narrator has no friends, and a life of no significance. In drawing the cathedral, the narrator finds not being able to see can be liberating. and seems to help him let go of his prejudices, and come to accept a new way of seeing. This story shows us that we can prevent ourselves from seeing what is really there by blinding ourselves, but that we have the ability to open our minds and seeing what is really
At first glance, one might assume Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral" illustrates the awakening of an insensitive and insulated husband to the world of a blind man. However, this literal awakening does not account for the fact that the husband awakens also to a world of religious insight, of which he has also been blind. The title and story structure are the first indicators of the importance of the religious thesis. It is also revealed when one examines the language and actions of the characters in the story. Finally, Carver’s previous and subsequent writings give an overall background for the argument that "Cathedral" has a significant religious import.
The narrator in Raymond Carver’s "Cathedral" is not a particularly sensitive man. I might describe him as self-centered, superficial, and egotistical. And while his actions certainly speak to these points, it is his misunderstanding of the people and the relationships presented to him in this story which show most clearly his tragic flaw: while Robert is physically blind, it is the narrator who cannot clearly see the world around him.
“Cathedral,” a short story written by Raymond Carver, presents an intriguing story of an ignorant man 's lesson. During this story, Carver 's working class characters are crushed by broken marriages, financial issues, and fulfilling jobs, but they are frequently unable to understand or communicate their own sufferings. However, the main story consists of the narrator, known as “Bub,” facing an internal conflict about a blind man named Robert staying the night in his home. Regardless of the fact that this blind man is his wife 's long time friend, the narrator cannot find himself comfortable with such an idea because of his extreme prejudices. Although, despite the narrator’s conflict he finds himself connecting to Robert on a more personal
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.
...l of open-mindedness. “Cathedral” concerns the change in one man’s understanding of himself and the world. From the start of the story the narrator is restricted in his understanding to accept the blind man just as his wife has. He cannot fully wrap around the idea of what makes Robert so special. Until, that is, that the narrator starts drawing the cathedral which starts off as a house almost, and expands into something grander. This short story allows us to realize that the world is greater and further detailed than what we consider it in our confined minds. And that in fact we should never assume that there is nothing more to what the eye can see. It simply states that we shouldn’t form an opinion on someone or something based only on what you see on the exterior, because usually after taking the time to explore, the person or thing will not be what you expected.
...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.
Constantly throughout the short story, Robert defies the narrator’s original portrayal of what he believes is a stereotypical blind man. “He also had a full beard. But 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” (Carver 36). Robert also starts to change the narrator’s perception of blind people not only physically but emotionally. In an act of thoughtful accommodation, the narrator begins to describe to Robert the cathedrals on the television when the speaker of the program halts the commentary. Robert starts to slightly and gradually change the perspective that the narrator sees blind people from until the conclusion of the story when Robert shines a light on the
The short story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver is about a woman who has a blind friend who comes to visit her and her husband. Although the husband has, technically, normal vision he is in the beginning of this story the one who is "blind." Through the husband’s words and actions when he is dealing with Robert, the blind man, we can see that the husband does not "see" or understand what Robert’s blindness means or how it changes or does not change him as a human being. At first Robert makes the husband very uncomfortable, for the husband does not know what to say or do around the blind visitor. As the story progresses, we can see a change in the husband; he seems to be able to see Robert as a person and not just as a blind man.