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The Idea Of Blindness In Raymond Carver's The Cathedral

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"My idea of blindness came from the movies… A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (261), a quote by Raymond Carver in his short story, “The Cathedral” about being judged before getting to know someone. A blind man, named Robert, got judged by the narrator, also known as Bub because he based Robert on the idea media placed on the blind during their time. The theme of this story does not always believe stereotypes are the way people truly are. The theme speaks to me because my younger brother, Andrew, has autism and he is constantly being judged and criticized for his behavior. Autism is a mental condition that causes difficulty in communicating and forming relationships, but a lot of people do not realize the signs, therefore, it is easy to criticize. Some characters overlook stereotypes while others stand by them confidently. All the characters in this short story prove the theme in separate ways, such as Bub, his wife, and Beulah, Robert’s wife. Firstly, Bub stereotyped Robert all built on how he thought blind people were supposed to act. Carver wrote, “In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed” (261). He was not excited to meet Robert since that was a new experience for him while he had a stubborn image of the blind in his mind. In my familiarity, this happens daily …show more content…

She took a chance and “they’d become good friends… she told me” (261). She looked past his “problem” and saw how amazing he was. He could do anything a seeing person could. “Robert had done a little of everything” (264). He was a regular man doing everyday activities except he could not see. Just like Andrew he can do anything any other nine-year-old can. If others took the time to stop and ask or recognize the signs of autism, they could learn to appreciate his personality and could tell the difference between his

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