Raymond’s Carver is an American writer that wrote the short story, “Cathedral,” that uses a first person point of view narration in which the narrator fundamentally transforms and is enlightened with a self-realization. The story transitions in a change in the tone of the narrator as being sarcastic, judgmental, and insulting in which he experiences an epiphany and has a brighter perception. The story begins with the feeling of apprehension of the gathering of his wife’s friend Robert who is legally blind. The narrator feels threatened and has negative perceptions about the blind man. Robert’s ordinary behavior fascinates the narrator’s stereotype label of individuals that are blind. Even though Robert is legally blind, he is able to comprehend …show more content…
and understand the complexities of life better than the narrator who can see physically and only superficially. In Raymond’s Carver short story, “Cathedral,” is an internal conflict in which the protagonist is unable to have a connection with his wife and his life that struggles with his perceptions and emotions by being narrow minded, insecure, and ignorant. The narrator is struggling internally with connecting to his wife emotionally.
He is unable to understand his wife’s meaningful poems and her emotions. Robert and his wife have been friends for over ten years in which they exchange audio tapes being empathetic. The reader can see that the wife needs Roberts friendship to fulfil and express her feelings, which is lacking in the marriage. Through conversation with his wife regarding Robert’s recently deceased wife Beulah, the reader can see that the narrator is narrow-minded and disregards internal emotions. The narrator’s wife states, "Besides, […] goddamn it, his wife just died. Don't you understand that? The man's lost his wife! (Carver, 2013, p.301).” The narrator’s wife knows that he does not understand how to be sympathetic in which she repeats herself making it obvious to the …show more content…
reader. The narrator is narrow minded struggling with his perceptions and emotions because of being dissatisfied with his marriage. He can not understand the complications of life and individuals. He states, “And then I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led. Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved ones. A woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved (Carver, 2013, p.302).” The narrator sees life through physical and superficial appearance that lacks the comprehension of complex emotions. In addition, the protagonist is suffering with his marriage by not connecting with his wife and portrays his dissatisfaction towards Robert. He becomes insulting towards Robert and displays jealousy. Through out the story, the narrator continues to label Robert as “the blind man” to inform the reader that he is inferior then the narrator. He displays his jealousy because he feels threaten and judges his physical appearance by being stereotypical of the blind and disregards Robert’s principles and character. For example, his belief that the blind must use a cane, wear dark glasses, be slow and sluggish, and have no personality. The narrator stereotypes and sees one-sided without having the realization that people are more individualized with complexity. He displaces his anger and frustration towards Robert because of his internal struggle of finding happiness with his wife. Additionally, the narrator’s lack of connection with his wife struggles with insecurity. The narrator states, “She told me he touched his fingers to every part of her face, her nose---even her neck! She never forget it (Carver, 2013, p.300). Even though not stated in the story, the narrator perceives that Robert and his wife may have had a pastime “crush.” The narrator feels threaten and frustrated from insecurity of not having that connection and a memorable experience. The reader can see that Robert is more outgoing and passionate with his wife. For example, “I saw my wife laughing as she parked the car. I saw her get out of the car and shut the door. She was still wearing the smile. Just amazing (Carver, 2013, p.302).” Furthermore, the protagonist is struggling with dissatisfaction with his marriage and his profession in which he engages in drugs and alcohol for gratification.
Through out the night, they had plenty of alcoholic drinks that was a familiarity in his lifestyle. “Right then my wife filled me in with more details than I cared to know. I made a drink and sat at the table to listen (Carver, 2013, p. 301).” The narrator is uneasy with communication with his wife and tolerates the conversation that he is uninterested knowing by easing the tension through alcoholic drinks. Additionally, the narrator’s lifestyle revolved around drugs to tolerate life, he states, “let me get you a drink. What’s your pleasure? We have a little of everything. It’s one of our pastimes (Carver, 2013, p. 304).” Also, the narrator would smoke marijuana daily until he was able to fall asleep. The narrator was suffering internally from his unconscious mind and would wake up from unpleasant dreams. The term referred by Sigmund Freud defining his thoughts and perceptions that he is not aware of. The narrator also admitted he was unhappy with his profession and struggles with coping with his dysfunctional marriage that revolves around drugs and
alcohol. In conclusion, the narrator is suffering with an internal conflict of not connecting with his wife emotionally in which he is leading a dysfunctional marriage that may be headed for divorce. In the end of the story the narrator is able to perceive through another person’s perception by drawing a cathedral that is impossible to describe. Carver (2013) narrator states, “It was like nothing in my life up to now (p. 311).” The narrator was not physically blind but experiences an epiphany of having sight and new perception of life and attitude. The change in attitude and tone of the narrator towards Robert can be predicted that the narrator will now understand through his epiphany in changing his outlook of life that will better his marriage and his internal struggle.
Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral” opens with a narrator whose wife has invited a blind friend to spend the night. The narrator depersonalizes the man right off the bat and repeatedly throughout the story by referring to him, not by name, but as “the blind man” (Carver 513). He admits that hi...
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.
In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator, Bub, is as metaphorically blind as his guest, Robert, is literally blind. Bub has many unwarranted misconceptions about life, blind people in particular. He also has many insecurities that prevent him from getting too close to people. Through his interaction with Robert, Bub is able to open his mind and let go of his self-doubt for a moment and see the world in a different light.
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, the main character, goes through a major personal transformation. At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. Through interaction with his wife's blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes. Although at first he seemed afraid to associate with a blind man, Robert's outgoing personality left him with virtually no choice. During Robert's visit, he proved to be a normal man, and showed the speaker that by closing his eyes, he could open his mind.
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.
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.
Blindness in Raymond Carver's Cathedral Blindness creates a world of obscurity only to be overcome with guidance from someone willing to become intimate with the blind. Equally true, the perceptions of blindness can only be overcome when the blind allow intimacy with the sighted. Raymond Carver, with his short story Cathedral, illustrates this point through the eyes of a man who will be spending an evening with a blind man, Robert, for the first time. Not only does this man not know Robert, but his being blind, "bothered" (Carver 98) him.
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.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. We have all heard this cliché at least once in our lifetime. But how many times have we ever followed through with this expression? The author Raymond Carver writes about an experience where a couple is visited by the wife’s acquaintance Robert, whose wife has recently passed. The fact that Robert is blind belittles him in the eyes of the narrator, causing tension and misjudgment. In “Cathedral”, Carver uses irony, point of view, and symbolism to show the difference between looking and truly seeing.
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, it tells of how a blind man is open to new experiences and how he views the world compared to the husband (narrator) who is blinded by the material things of life. The husband is given the gift of sight but the true gift comes from seeing the cathedral. At the beginning of the story, the husband’s outlook on others is filled with stereotypes, discrimination, insecurities and prejudice. After interacting with Robert, his wife's friend, his outlook begins to change significantly.
Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story "Cathedral." From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wife's friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story.
With this in mind, “Cathedral” is a story about a blind man who visits a married couple for the first time in ten years. Carver introduces the blind man’s name as Robert. He has formed a great relationship with the husband’s wife by passionately communicating with her through mailing letters and tapes. Unfortunately, these actions force the husband to become extremely paranoid of Robert coming to visit his wife. These events can infer that their marriage is unstable and the wife is potentially attempting to seek attention or a stronger e...
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. 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. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
Raymond Carver, in his short story Cathedral uses a first-person narrator, whose point of view is very much limited and flawed. The narrator in Cathedral has full use of all his senses, unlike the blind man, Robert, who is introduced very early in the story. When comparing the two again, however, Robert is the character that is open to new ideas and willing to experience the joys of life, while the narrator limits himself due to his close-minded thinking. It brings up the question, who is truly blind in the story? Is it a physical ailment or a mental block? The narrator is never given a name in the story, making him the most impersonal character in the story. This also adds to the fact that the narrator is highly ignorant about his surroundings and has a one-sided, self-absorbed view of the world. The perception of the narrator leaves much to be inferred in many points in the story, and at first, it seems pointless to have such a closed off character and the one telling his point of view. I would like to hear the story from the wife’s point of view or Robert’s. Ultimately, however, the limited point of view of the narrator shows where the true ignorance in the world lies.