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The cathedral raymond carver style and technique
The cathedral raymond carver style and technique
Carver cathedral summary
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In Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” the narrator and Robert, the blind man, have no connections at all in the beginning. The narrator even thinks that he is better than Robert because Robert is blind, the narrator is also jealous of Robert’s relationship with the narrator’s wife. Although we can gather these things from the short story the actual message that I am going to discuss in this paper is the importance of not physical seeing but emotionally and mentally seeing. Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral” explains the importance of transcendence, looking beyond what you can physically see and opening yourself up for greatness and opportunity in life. The Narrator acts as though he is better than Robert because Robert is blind. The Narrator makes jokes by saying “what side of the train did you sit on” Robert replies by saying “the right” just because he can’t physically see doesn’t mean that he is below anyone else(Carver 2016). In the beginning of the story the narrator talks about how he isn’t ok with having a Blind” man stay in his house and that he has never really known a blind man. We look at this as jealousy, however it is over looked because the story focuses on how the narrator is …show more content…
Everyone is equal and you don’t have to physically see in order to “see” things. You can live your whole life without actually “seeing” the true meaning of anything. You can also go your whole life thinking that you are better than someone else, but in reality when it’s all said and done and you’ve left this earth only peoples memory of you will be left. Will they say “she/he never really seen the true meaning of life” or will they say “she/he lived their life to fullest and viewed everyone as equals”? So with that being said let this stay with you “With eyes still closed the narrator says ‘the drawing is really something’”. Will you be able to see without physically seeing
The blind man is appealing to readers because of the fact that he proves to be a good friend and listener to the narrator’s wife. The wife and blind man have kept in touch by exchanging audio tapes over the years. The wife feels comfortable sharing all aspects of her life with him. The husband expands on this by saying “She and I began going out, and of course she told her blind man about it” (5). This quote proves that the blind man provides a sense of comfort to the wife who cannot find the same sense of security in her own husband. The blind man is friendly and makes an attempt to befriend the husband even though he is consistently rude to him. The blind man tells the narrator he will stay up with him to talk even after his wife has gone to sleep. He says he feels “like me and her monopolized the evening” (83). The blind man respectfully says to the narrator “[y]ou’re my host” and wants to be fair and make sure the husband doesn’t feel left out during his visit (102). He is also very understanding and patient with the husband. This characteristic is especially proven when the narrator tries, but fails at explaining the appearance of a cathedral to the blind man. He apologizes for not doing a good job. The blind man understands and reassures him by saying “I get it, bub. It’s okay. It happens. Don’t worry about it” (110). He is aware that his
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 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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
In “Cathedral”, by Raymond Carver, there is a big issue with the idea of acceptance of people who are different. In this story this idea of acceptance of those who are different focuses on the aspect of a disability, specifically blindness. Throughout the story Carver explores this idea through a theme focusing on the difference and relationship between the blind man, Robert, and the narrator. In the beginning Carver starts off with an acceptance and a misunderstanding of this difference between Robert and the narrator. Yet towards the end, the narrator experiences a change in him that allows him to see what he misunderstood and dint exactly accept and now he has the ability to understand and embrace Robert as a real human being,
Through the short story, “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver, occasions of the husband’s character change the connection once lost through blindness. Through a blind man’s innovative technique, the husband’s demeanor radically improves through one man’s handicap. Although the character’s change in behavior occurs shortly before the end of the story the husband and Robert sit on the floor to draw a cathedral, there are a few climaxes in the story that greatly begin to shape the husband’s overall perspective in life. Carver describes the setting of the story, which takes place in a middle-class apartment in New York, which gives a powerful shift in the husband’s
A short story about a couple who interactions with a blind man, about the overly masculine presence of the narrator and his desire to the center of conversation, how the wife struggles with depression and lack of self confidence, and eventually pushes back and triumphs. Carver paints a mental image throughout Cathedral of how being close-minded and ignorant comes to bite the narrator in the end.
In the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator’s reaction to Roberts visit is that of hesitation and skepticisms, the narrator is then taken back when Robert is the opposite of what he was expecting and learns to see things about himself and the other people around him through interactions with Robert. The narrator develops a connection with the blind man through forced interaction between the two of them, the author uses blindness as symbolism throughout the story between the narrator and Robert. The narrator has learned to see things about himself through his interactions with Robert.
The blind man, however, greets these preconceptions with patience and equanimity, and the end result is a profound realization for the story’s narrator. Throughout “Cathedral”, Raymond Carver employs characterization and purposeful diction to juxtapose the bigoted narrator against the wise blind man in order to advance the underlying theme of the story: persistent empathy and understanding are the forces to end prejudice.
Do you think vision is everything in life? Many people find themselves superior to others who lack the ability to see this wonderful world. As portrayed in the short fiction story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, a person needs more than sight to become complete in life. Carver tells story from the narrator’s view where the narrator views himself perfectly fine with no physical disabilities. However, when he interacted with a blind man, who comes in his life as a teacher, he realize about his weakness to look deeper. This story takes place one night in New York, where a blind friend of the narrator’s wife, Robert came to visit. Upon staying in the narrator’s house, Robert opens his eyes and teaches him a good life lesson.
Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” tells the tale of a metaphorically blind man’s experiences when meeting a physically blind man. The short story revolves around a narrow-minded narrator overcoming his assumptions about a stranger who is blind, but more importantly Carver brings to life the difference between “looking” and “seeing” in his short story. He establishes a theme that proclaims intimacy is not just a physical action, but a connection between souls. Cathedral is a realistic tale that lays out how one’s mindset determines one's character.
In Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral”, the narrator’s ignorance and apathetic perspective of blindness is shaken when he makes a connection with a blind man, which allows him to see for the first time. We will examine how Carver’s choice of first-person point of view gives us a depiction of the narrator’s traits through his tone of voice while encountering Robert, the blind man and the irony of blindness that the narrator himself faces through his lack of understanding until his self-realization at the end of the story.