Blindness And Ignorance In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

Blindness applies as both a physical and mental ailment. Raymond Carver portrays this concept to readers with his short story, Cathedral. Told from the point of view of a nameless narrator, Cathedral tells a tale of healing mental blindness and, ultimately, curing one’s ignorance. As the nameless narrator encounters Robert, a blind friend of his wife, he changes from a man with a nearsighted mentality to an aware, empathetic human being. The traits, psyche, and point of view of the narrator of Raymond Carver’s Cathedral each drive the plot toward a theme of healing and transformation. The nameless narrator of Cathedral often displays his sarcasm, ignorance, and signs of jealousy throughout the story. As the narrator’s wife prepares potatoes

The narrator suggests “maybe [he] could take [Robert] bowling” (Carver 35). With this remark, the narrator’s wife tells her husband that if he were to have friends to visit, she would be polite to them and make them feel welcome. The narrator’s wife, also, reminds the narrator he does not actually have any friends (36). The narrator’s lack of friends could stem from his abounding ignorance toward the plights of others. His perception of the blind can be enough to drive most potential friends away. The narrator pictures the blind as slow-moving and never laughing (34). As he finally meets Robert, the narrator is shocked that the man makes no use of a cane or dark glasses, as he “always thought dark glasses were a must for the blind” (38). Finally, the narrator’s ignorance toward Robert peaks as he asks which side of the train he sat on, because, according to the narrator, “going to New York, you should sit on the right-hand side of the train, and coming from New York, to the left-hand side” (38) to best enjoy the scenery of the Hudson. The jealous mindset of the narrator, however, drives most of his sarcasm and ignorance. One of his initial instances of jealousy occurs as he depicts a moment shared between his wife and Robert. The narrator’s

Although the narrator and Robert engaged in small talk following dinner, it is not until the trio smokes marijuana together and his wife falls asleep that the narrator ultimately becomes relaxed with Robert’s presence. Shortly enough, the narrator’s wife falls asleep, leaving the narrator and Robert to turn their attention toward the television showing a program about cathedrals. The narrator begins to describe the program on the television to Robert until he comes to a realization and asks Robert if he truly knows what a cathedral is. Aside from what the program has mentioned, Robert admits, he does not know much of a catheral’s appearance and implores the narrator to describe one. He tries in vain to describe a cathedral to Robert, but his low self-esteem shines through as he continues to apologize to Robert because “[he is] just no good at it” (44). Robert kindly reassures the narrator and ultimately suggests the narrator draws a cathedral on heavy paper for him to feel. As the narrator draws, Robert runs his fingers over the lines, eventually finding the narrator’s hands. Although the narrator’s wife wakes up and asks what the two men are doing, she is ignored. The narrator continues to draw the cathedral with Robert’s hand over his until Robert tells him to close his eyes.