Raymond Carver Cathedral Essay

When people chose whether to look or to see, they are choosing their way of interpreting things. By looking at something or someone you are interpreting them as for what it is, but to see takes a greater appreciation. In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, he exhibits the difference between looking at the physical aspect of a person or thing and seeing them with insight. Carver displays this through the characterization of the narrator and Robert, the irony in the narrator’s point of view on Robert’s marriage, and how the cathedral symbolizes the narrator change in seeing perception.
Carver’s characterization of the narrator and Robert allows the reader to see two different people with different seeing perceptions. From the start the narrator comes on to the reader as being judgemental and shallow. The narrator looks at Robert as if he is better than him, because of his

condition. He is blinded by the physical appearance of Robert that it take away from his true identity. He states “I remembered having read somewhere that the blind didn’t smoke because, they couldn’t see the smoke they exhaled. I thought I knew that much only about blind people. But this blind man smoked his cigarette down to the nubbin and then lit another one.” This indicates that the narrator doesn't take the time to get away from his stereotypical mind, and really get to know Robert. He has a difficult time seeing past Robert’s blindness, to see his actually perspective and feelings on things. On the other hand Robert is a easy going, older man who sees with a deeper understanding. Robert is very empathetic, having a great relationship with the narrator wife without ever laying an eye on her. Robert is able to look beyond the physical aspect of someone or something and see them with insight unlike the narrator.
The irony in the narrator's point of view on Robert's marriage. The narrator bashes Robert and his dead wife Beulah's marriage, on how can one love and marry another who never would be capable of looking at them. He comments “ They married, lived and worked together, slept together-and then the blind man had to bury her. All this without his having ever seeing what the goddamned woman looked like.” Since the narrator is fixated on the physical appearance, he believes Robert is incapable of love. He feels sorry for Beulah on how she would never be able to see her beauty through the one she loves. The narrator just looks at the marriage as being impossible, and doesn't understand the feelings the two have for eachother. The irony that he is criticizing Robert marriage, while the truth is that his own marriage is misleading. He and his wife seem as if they are always arguing, and disagreeing with each other. Its as if she is able to relate to Robert more than she can with her own husband. That's because even though Robert is blind he can still see people on a emotional level.
The cathedral symbolizes the narrator change of seeing perception.

When he’s asked by Robert to describe the cathedral, but only to be able to look at the building structure. He says “They're really big. They're massive. They Are built of stone. Marble to sometimes. In those olden days, when they build cathedrals. Men wanted to be close to god. In Those olden days, God was important part of everyone’s life.” The narrator is repeating himself because he is unable to look any further, but when Robert asks of him to draw one he has a different view of the cathedral. He tells him to close his eyes, and is able to go beyond what he first described with his eyes open. He now seeing things with insight and not just the physical aspect. Its opened his mind to the way Robert has been looking at things. By the end when the narrator say “But i had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought its was something i ought to do.” This implies that he has change this ways of looking at thing and being too quick to judge without seeing people and things with greater

understanding.
The difference in seeing and looking can have a big toll on how one interpret things. From the story we can imply that it takes a mind’s eye to see, but to look is quite easily to do. In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, he exhibits the difference between looking at the physical aspect of a person or thing and seeing them with insight. Carver displays this through the characterization of the narrator and Robert, the irony in the narrator’s point of view on Robert’s marriage, and how the cathedral symbolizes the narrator change in seeing perception.