Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver's Cathedral tells the story of a man transitioning from a self-centered, jealous husband, to one who overcomes his own prejudice. Cathedral, is about two blind men. Robert is physically blind, and the narrator is blind psychologically. Robert enters the narrator's life and in doing so Robert is giving the narrator his first glimpse into the "real world". The narrator gains insight from Robert into a new world, the narrator now sees past what people physically are, he experiences this from Robert's sight. Carver illustrates just how blind the narrator is within the first paragraph of the story. "My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed" (Carver, 122). The narrator has already made an assumption regarding Robert and is not open to the possibility that Robert can be something other than the images the movies have given the narrator. The narrator is not only ignorant about people who are blind, but about other topics as well. When his wife mentions that Robert's wife's' name was Beulah, he states that Beulah is a name for a colored woman. The narrator's wife is a sensitive woman who is in touch with her feelings. This is illustrated when the narrat
The narrator felt that he couldn't talk to Robert about anything because they had nothing in common. The narrator is not at all like his wife; he does not understand her poems and is not in touch with his own emotions; instead, he sees everything at face value. He does not understand that while Robert couldn't compliment Beulah on her appearance physically, he could complement Beulah's integrity, perfume, laugh, or any other aspect of her personality. I can't do any more than what I've done" (Carver, 131) the narrator's comment is another example as to how he only sees the top of the pile, and never what is underneath it. The tapes provide an outlet for the narrator's wife; she is able to express her thoughts and feelings; something she cannot do with her husband. While the narrator believes there is nothing more to do, Robert proves him wrong by having him draw a cathedral on paper. A woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved (Carver, 124). I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led. The narrator's house has shielded him from the outside world.
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