The short story “Cathedral,” written by Raymond Carver, is about a nameless narrator and his wife who welcome her blind friend Robert to their home shortly after his wife passes away. The relationship between Robert and the narrator progresses during Robert’s stay as they get to know one another better. The story embodies one of the main theme that is discussed in class: “life passages.” The concept of “life passages” involves adversities, events, and successes that contribute to how individuals live their lives, particularly in literature and in the real world. Two elements of this short story in particular that advance the idea of “life passages” are the characters Robert and the narrator, and the symbolism of the cathedral. Both Robert and
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The narrator doesn't know how to act around Robert and is jealous of the relationship he has with the narrator's wife since he knows that they talk about him. This demonstrates sincere insecurity that the narrator feels about himself due to the actions of both his wife and Robert. The blind man proves himself to be an outgoing, kind person, despite the narrator’s hostility at first. After dinner, the two men drink and smoke together, and once under the influence, the narrator finally lets his guard down with Robert. Robert's blindness makes him more open as he shares secrets that are quite intimate. After the wife falls asleep on the sofa, the narrator starts talking about a documentary about cathedrals being shown on the television screen. Robert admits that does not have any idea what a cathedral looks like, although he acknowledges that they required hundreds of people and decades to build. The narrator, unable to adequately describe a cathedral, agrees to sketch a cathedral while Robert holds the hand moving the pen. Through this interaction with the blind man, the narrator discovers unsuspected artistic gifts. As a result, The blind man teaches the sighted narrator to see their shared world and to desire to live in …show more content…
As the narrative begins the short story, the narrator is seen to be one that lacks vision. It is through the act of creation and intimacy that he grows. The vision that the narrator gains can be seen through the encouragement that Robert gives him: “Go ahead, bub, draw, he said. Draw. You'll see. I'll follow along with you. It'll be okay. Just begin now like I'm telling you” (Carver 525). The encouragement to draw and to share this experience with another is where the vision becomes a part of the narrator's being. While the opening of the scene featured the narrator as lacking this vision while retaining physical vision, Robert has taught the narrator "to see" in a more spiritual sense. This vision is transformative as the narrator understands more of himself, the world, and his place in it. This revelation causes him to remark that “My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything” (Carver 526). Being able to see outside of what is in the world of what can be and what might be is the new vision that Robert has provided to the narrator, a condition of being that is "really something." (Carver 525) The relationship between Robert and the narrator started as uncomfortable and unsettling, but it progressed positively as they began to open up on a personal level and formed a connection over the
The narrator doesn't know how to act around Robert and is jealous of the relationship he has with the narrator's wife since he knows that they talk about him. This demonstrates sincere insecurity that the narrator feels about himself due to the actions of both his wife and Robert. The blind man proves himself to be an outgoing, kind person, despite the narrator’s hostility at first. After dinner, the two men drink and smoke together, and once under the influence, the narrator finally lets his guard down with Robert. Robert's blindness makes him more open as he shares secrets that are quite intimate. After the wife falls asleep on the sofa, the narrator starts talking about a documentary about cathedrals being shown on the television screen. Robert admits that does not have any idea what a cathedral looks like, although he acknowledges that they required hundreds of people and decades to build. The narrator, unable to adequately describe a cathedral, agrees to sketch a cathedral while Robert holds the hand moving the pen. Through this interaction with the blind man, the narrator discovers unsuspected artistic gifts. As a result, The blind man teaches the sighted narrator to see their shared world and to desire to live in …show more content…
As the narrative begins the short story, the narrator is seen to be one that lacks vision. It is through the act of creation and intimacy that he grows. The vision that the narrator gains can be seen through the encouragement that Robert gives him: “Go ahead, bub, draw, he said. Draw. You'll see. I'll follow along with you. It'll be okay. Just begin now like I'm telling you” (Carver 525). The encouragement to draw and to share this experience with another is where the vision becomes a part of the narrator's being. While the opening of the scene featured the narrator as lacking this vision while retaining physical vision, Robert has taught the narrator "to see" in a more spiritual sense. This vision is transformative as the narrator understands more of himself, the world, and his place in it. This revelation causes him to remark that “My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything” (Carver 526). Being able to see outside of what is in the world of what can be and what might be is the new vision that Robert has provided to the narrator, a condition of being that is "really something." (Carver 525) The relationship between Robert and the narrator started as uncomfortable and unsettling, but it progressed positively as they began to open up on a personal level and formed a connection over the