The short stories, The Man Who Had No Eyes and Cathedral have similarities in characters, theme and plot yet convey their messages in a very different way. Both stories employ the vehicle of blindness and the encounters of two men to suggest similar themes yet the blind man plays a different role in each story.
             In MacKinlay Kantor's, A Man Who Had No Eyes, we are introduced to Mr. Parsons, an upbeat Insurance salesman outside a hotel. Mr. Parsons "was very glad to be alive" and took pride in his accomplishments. He immediately notes "the clack-clack approach of the sightless man," and "felt a sudden and foolish sort of pity for all blind creatures." In Cathedral by Raymond Carver, we are told of the impending visit of Robert, a blind friend of the narrator's wife. He was uncomfortable and stated, "his being blind bothered me." The narrator, Bub, does not make direct statements about his own state in life as Parsons did but it seems clear through his narrative that his outlook on most things is negative. As he discusses his wife, her poetry, her first marriage and Robert's marriage he has nothing positive to say. Kantor's blind man, Markwardt, is a "shabby fellow" and little more than a beggar. Carver's blind man, Robert, looks "distinguished" according to Bub's wife and "Spiffy" according to Bub. Unlike Markwardt, Robert does not use a cane.
             The personalities and attitudes of the two blind men are as different as their appearances. Markwardt is full of self pity as he relates the story of his blindness He tries to use his disability for material gain by preying on Parsons sympathy. "He was thinking that there might be more half dollars in Mr. Parsons' pocket." Robert on the other hand has had a full life. Unlike the self-absorbed Markwardt, Robert is interested in the lives of others and
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