Raymond Carver Cathedral Essay

In Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral” the narrator is revealed to be a self-centered and egotistical man with the inability to see events and people from any point of view other than his own. About midway through the story I was completely aware of his lack of respect and consideration for other people and their views that differ from his. It was made even more apparent by his opinions towards his wife’s old friend, Robert, A blind man whom she had met & befriended 10 years ago. Despite the narrators close-minded views the narrator eventually has an epiphany that changes his views of not of not only Robert, but his entire outlook on every aspect of his life up to that point. Finally, I can pinpoint and properly explain my thought process

and details behind the narrator’s epiphany.
The epiphany that strikes the narrator comes from his time he spent with Robert drawing a cathedral. The epiphany comes to him when in the process of drawing together with Robert he closes his eyes and opens his mind while diving deep within himself to finally tap into a deeper feeling and meaning far past what meets the eye. He finally realizes with his eyes closed he is far more capable of seeing things for what they are compared to how much he was able to see with his eyes open. This idea was brought was conveyed in Robert and the narrators dialogue at the very end of the story when Robert asked him to open his eyes and look at his work and tell him what he thought. In response to Roberts request the narrator stated, “It really is something” (3.39). this response came after the narrator’s self-reflection where states, “My eyes were still closed” (3.40). This lets me know that the narrator didn’t need to physically see the artwork to appreciate it because he feels it inside himself. At this point in the story Carver indicates that the narrator’s epiphany left him feeling that this method gives him a much broader perspective than his actual vision ever has or could when it was all said and done at the end of the story.
Lastly, after my full analysis the narrator is and should be classified solely as a dynamic character.

This comes largely in part to how far the narrator came since the start of the story and what he ultimately became in the end. This change can clearly be exemplified by the progression of the narrator’s relationship with Robert and how it progressed throughout the story. Carver introduces the relationship between the narrator and Robert through the narrator’s initial statement, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (1.1). Carver even gives a deeper look into the narrator’s relationship with Robert by this line of dialogue between him and his wife where he jokingly stated to his wife, “Maybe I could take him bowling" (1.6). This shows the level of disapproval that the narrator still holds towards Robert. This takes a turn when during the portion of the evening when his wife goes to sleep and he’s left alone with Robert he tells him "I'm glad for the company" (2.28). This is a turning point in the story for not just the narrator but for his relationship he had with Robert. The fact that the narrator is thankful and appreciative that he’s spending the evening with Robert shows that he’s finally beginning to warm up to Robert, and that he’s growing as a person showing that he no longer has the desire to be alone and that he’s now starting to appreciate companionship. Finally, the narrator and his relationship with Robert is at its strongest point when they finally sit down and begin to draw with each other. The narrator describes the moment they shared by stating, “He found my hand, the hand with the pen. He closed his hand over my hand” (3.30). This is a strong testament to how far he progressed throughout the story. The narrator went from not even looking forward to Roberts presence inside his home to being hand in hand with him working on the drawing of the cathedral. Ultimately, this is what clearly makes the narrator a dynamic character

rather than a static one. He shows progression and a change of acceptance for not only Robert, but for everyone else and their differing views and natures rather than how he started at the beginning of the story where he seen nothing from a perspective other than his own.