Richard Carver is well known for his stories which contains characters that are escapist, messed up, and unsociable. He is also well known for creating characters that “They are rarely attractive people, and often readers must work against a narrator's tendency to sound cretinous or Carver's propensity to reveal characters as bigots and dunces.”(Facknitz 292).The narrator in his short story “Cathedral” can be similarly described. Many critiques have the misconception that Carver’s characters do not change, that they remain stagnant in their stupidity and their bigotry. However the narrator in his short story “Cathedral” forces the readers to reconsider that statement as by the end of the story he has made a progressive journey to changing his …show more content…
attitude and understanding communication. Robert exposes the narrator to the knowledge of how to overcome his bigoted ways, Robert also ‘opens’ the narrator’s eyes on the ways of communication. The narrator begins to feel a connection with Robert because of his experiences. Ultimately Carver urges us to ponder about how different forms of communication are essential in order to be able to create and maintain strong connections with others. One of the most popular forms of communication is speaking yet the narrator seems to have difficulties articulating his thoughts through spoken word. Speaking is a major part of communication, it is also a foundation upon which relationships are founded. The narrator’s words show how ignorant he is. The narrator has problems talking to his wife, instead of telling her that Robert’s visit made him uncomfortable and discussing how to alleviate his uncomfortableness he makes underhanded jokes about Robert. His inability to communicate with his wife leads to her becoming aggravated and throwing a potato at his head, thus causing problems within his marriage. The narrator’s wife later makes the statement “You don’t have any friends, period.” (Carver 36). Thus proving to the audience that the narrator is unable or unwilling to communicate with others in order to form connections. The narrator seems inclined to isolation, though if this inclination is from habit or is naturally ingrained Carver never states. Carver elucidates to the narrators predilection towards isolation when he gives a vague description of the house, which seems more like a prison, and in the decision to have the narrator to stay inside of the house throughout the story. The narrator seems to be content to be on the inside looking out. The narrator later admits that “Every night I smoked dope and stayed up as long as I could before I fell asleep. My wife and I hardly ever went to bed at the same time,” which suggest to the audience that he did not go out to party or to meet up with friends, he does not go out actively trying to socialize, he even avoids spending time with his wife. (Carver 42). Carver allows the actions of the characters to speak for them.
An old saying is that actions speak louder than words and this seems to be true for the character of “Cathedral”. Although the narrator is a little awkward around Robert he does genuinely try to help him, and make sure that he is comfortable. He pours Robert drinks, he butters Robert’s bread for him at dinner, he shares his pot with Robert, and he tries to draw a cathedral for him. The narrator’s actions prove that although he cannot properly communicate his feelings and thoughts, he truly does not mean any harm towards Robert, he is just ignorant of what to do in the situation that he finds himself in. The narrator seems to fear anything which is different from him thus he fears what to do in the situation he is put in, he had never had any experiences with a bling man before thus Robert’s becomes an unknown variable to the narrator. The narrator’s lack of knowledge is made clear to him when he first sees Robert It shatters all of his previous misconceptions, making him unprepared and unable to properly speak with Robert. He does not understand how to talk with a blind man, the narrator even states “I didn’t know what else to say.”(Carver 38), he repeats this sentiment at least three times. Thus the narrator’s action should communicate that on a subconscious level he does want to get to know Robert he just does not know what would be appropriate or what would
offend. The action of the characters having supper together has a distinct connotation to those who are affiliated to the Christian religion. The narrator, his wife, and Robert sat complacently around the table, eating bread and drinking milk, the sustainers of life. The meal brings to mind the Last Supper in the Bible. Jesus and his disciples sat around a table breaking bread and drinking wine. This action suggests that Robert is like Jesus, that he is enlightened and that he wishes to share his experiences and knowledge with others. Robert’s name gives validation to his enlightened status, for his name means “bright fame” which is appropriate for his character, for although he is blind he has travelled the world and had experiences that made him ‘bright’, he also seems to have a lightness to him, a joy and happiness that is intangible and which draws others toward him. (Förstemann 894). Robert is laid-back, he seems to have an agreeable personality, and he is easy to please, all of which contributes to his ‘fame’. Carver most efficacious means of communication is nonverbal, or what is said in the silence. It “leave questions pertaining to plots and characters unanswered, often leading to interpretations that consider concerns the text raises rather than issues the text resolves.” (Champion 193). Silence can communicate more than words at times. The narrator is content to sit in silence for most of the evening, while his wife and Robert converse. However when the narrator and Robert are first left together he finds the silence to be constricting and awkward. By the end of the night Robert and the narrator decide to watch or listen to the color television set. A documentary about cathedrals was on and the narrator curiously asked Robert if he had any idea of what a cathedral looked like, of course Robert didn’t. The narrator tried to communicate to Robert how they looked by verbally describing it but he found that he could not effectively communicate how a cathedral looked. One of the most important moments occurs after he tries to describe the Cathedral the narrator acknowledges his own failing, he says “I’m sorry, but it looks like that’s the best I can do for you. I’m just no good at it.”(Carver 44). He admits that he is no good at communicating, admittance is the first step to overcoming failures or faults. Robert suggested that the narrator got a piece of paper and a pencil, hoping that drawing a cathedral would allow the narrator to communicate how a cathedral looked not through words but through touch and imagination. Together they drew a cathedral, leading the narrator to having an epiphany. In order to understand why Carver chose a cathedral for the insightful discovery that the narrator has, it would be beneficial for the audience to know the history behind cathedrals. Cathedrals are church that were build a long time ago. The cathedrals were a meeting place for all of the members of the community that wanted to praise God, practice religion, or observe those who practiced that religion. Cathedrals brought people together and united them by allowing them to gather at a single meeting place for a homogenous purpose, to be enlightened. In the past it took generations of people coming together to build a cathedral, and now in the present it takes hundreds of people uniting and correlating to fund the upkeep of the building “Since 1990, central government, via English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, has offered a comparatively modest level of financial support for the care and maintenance of provincial medieval cathedrals.” (Mansfield Abstract). Cathedrals are important to the surrounding society because they are a physical piece of the past, they preserve the past and the surrounding society’s heritage. In “Cathedral” Robert states that all he knows about cathedrals are “I know they took hundreds of workers fifty or a hundred years to build… I know generations of the same families worked on a cathedral.”(Carver43-44).A cathedral is a physical legacy, it is a work of art left by multiple ancestors who have long since passed. Carver uses the cathedral to symbolize the bond that is formed between Robert and the narrator, the unity they achieve. After drawing the cathedral the narrator has an ‘out-of-body’ experience, Robert and him share a moment that cannot be expressed in words, the closest words can come to describing that experience is that they were everything and nothing all at once. In that moment they both truly experienced ‘sight’. The cathedral can be used to symbolize how Robert led the narrator to an enlightenment. The narrator has lived his whole life looking without seeing, he knows what color the sky is but he probably could not describe it. It is only when his eyes are closed and the drawing of the cathedral is complete that he finally understand how to see. The cathedral can be interpreted as life as well, Robert tells the narrator to “Put some people in there now. What’s a cathedral without people?”(Carver 46). Robert is subtly communicating to the narrator that life would not be the same without people, it would just be an empty shell instead of the beautiful experience that it is meant to be when it is filled with people that we can connect with. The narrator has lived his life unconcerned and unconnected to his surrounding and the people surrounding him, Robert is trying to introduce him to a world filled with care, concern, and healthy relationships Carver uses the silent moment of drawing a cathedral to “…progress through a series of epiphanies, effectively conveying the story’s central message on “blindness” and spiritual awakening.”(Peterson 167). The drawing of the cathedral and the other forms of communication that occurred between Robert and the narrator allow him to form an uncharacteristic connection to Robert. The narrator learned how to communicate and that there are different forms of communication. The narrator discovered that although Robert is blind the gap that distances them was not as wide as he originally thought, both have a disadvantage when dealing with certain skills, but they both can learn to overcome that disadvantage and enjoy their life while they live it. The narrator’s action and experience at the end of the story shatters the misconception that all of Carvers characters remain one-dimensional. The silent, verbal, and physical communications that occur between the narrator, his wife, and Robert change the narrator from the mindless bigot that he was at the beginning of the story to a more conscious, and self-aware character. By the end of the story the narrator is starting to learn how to communicate and how important it is to form connections to people.
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.
“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.
A metamorphosis is an act of change or a transformation from one thing to another. Most associate a metamorphosis with the process in which a caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly. However, metamorphoses occur in humans as well. Cathedral is a story of man, the narrator, who experiences a life changing metamorphosis in an unexpected manner. The narrator is first introduced to the reader as an insensitive and ignorant man, and he reveals these characteristics in many ways throughout the majority of the story. However, interaction with a blind man not only exploits the narrator's character flaws, but is ultimately the catalyst for his metamorphosis.
Upon reading Raymond Carver's short story of the Cathedral one will notice the literary devices used in the short story. When analyzing the story completely, one then understands the themes, motifs, metaphors, and the overall point of the piece. This leaves the reader with an appreciation of the story and a feeling of complete satisfaction.
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.
Both Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral” and John Updike’s short story “A&P” contain two main characters that stereotype a group of people, but in the end this provokes them to have a revelation in the way they view themselves and the people around them. For Sammy in the story “A&P” it is the young, girls who bring about his change of heart and for the husband in “Cathedral” it is the blind man Robert. The two story lines relate as the two main characters view the stereotyped groups of people negatively. The girls and the blind man are viewed as intruders into the main characters’ daily lives. The two catalysts “the girls” and “Robert” are the cause of change, a real eye opener for the two main characters of the stories,
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.
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.
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.
...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.
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.
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. As bedtime draws near, his wife heads upstairs, leaving both men alone. The husband begins to flip through channels and comes across a program about a cathedral. Robert is unaware of what a cathedral is and the husband is attempts to explain, but has a hard time in doing so. To get a better understanding, Robert suggests that he draws a cathedral while he places his hands on top of those of the husband.
...rs, leaving the narrator and Rob to smoke a joint and watch television. The narrator tells Robert what’s going on in the show and asks him if he knows what a cathedral is, since the show is all about cathedrals. Although the narrator isn’t religious, he draws a cathedral for Robert, allowing his hand to be over his. This would allow him to understand what a cathedral looks like. However, when the wife wakes up and asks what they’re doing, she’s confused when the narrator says they’re drawing a cathedral. Robert asks the narrator to open his eyes, and he never does, claiming he feels weightless, suggesting to himself that he’s reached an epiphany. The narrator’s drawing allows him to see beyond “visibility.” He doesn’t understand exactly what he felt, but he knows it was a meaningful experience. Robert demonstrated that seeing involves a lot more than just looking.
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.