[[move this block to the left margin]] Nicholas Petrilla

Essay I Draft Analysis of Cathedral

28 September 2010

Dr. Michelle Brown

Analysis of Cathedral [[descriptive title? 12-point font, not bold]]

I am fortunate that each morning I wake up, look around, and am able view the world around me. Most of us take our vision for granted. Others, like the narrator, in the Raymond Carver short story, Cathedral, not only take their vision for granted, but look with prejudice on people with this disability or any disability. Too often we have a preconceived notion of how we feel about individuals before we really get to know them. The narrator only knew of Robert from the stories his wife had told him, and the poems she had written; including that first poem were she describes the last day she spent with him, and how he had asked to touch her face. But just the fact that Robert was blind was enough for the narrator to form his opinion of Robert. The theme that the narrator wanted us to see was that although he was letting Robert come into his home, there was no way he was going to be able to cope with a “blind man”. Having this man in his house was not normal, and was not something with which he was going to be comfortable. The writing of this story from the narrator’s view point allows each reader to reflect on their preconceived notions of situations that they have faced and how they dealt with them. (Thesis)

As the story develops, there are many references to the fact that the narrator was not looking forward to trying to entertain a “blind man”. Maybe without thinking, or maybe on purpose, the narrator asks his wife if he should take the man bowling. He asks if Robert’s wife was a Negro leading me to believe that the narrator felt that Robert could have married anyone since he would never have been able to see whom he had actually married. The narrator liked to sit on a certain side of the train when he traveled so when Robert was settled in the house, the narrator asked which side of the train Robert sat on. (I like how you give several examples of the references the narrator mentions) Again the narrator could not relate to the fact that the man was blind and, therefore, the ride on the right side or the left side of the train would not have made a bit of difference since there were no sights to be seen. The final realization we get of the narrator’s uncomfortable situation is when he turns on the television and once again receives a look from his wife. (Elaborate more)Even though from the beginning the narrator could not come to terms with trying to entertain a blind man in his home, how ironic that something as simple as the television would actually lead to the narrator coming to terms with Robert and his disability. (Nice insight!)

In today’s society how often do we hear in normal conversations that people are uncomfortable when faced with situations of physical or mental disabilities? We often don’t want to approach someone or something that takes us out of our comfort zone. We look upon these encounters as unpleasant events that we would rather simply avoid. Most of this is due to our seemingly perfect view of the world and everything around us because we are not personally faced with any of these adversities.(maybe shorten or separate this sentence, it threw me off a little) We react basically the same as the narrator; being very uncomfortable, and not knowing exactly want to do in the given situation. A natural reaction of how to cope is to try and become as relaxed as possible. In the story, the narrator and his wife start out by offering Robert a drink, which he readily accepts. This one drink turns into several which helps to relax the three of them. Next they sat down to a very inviting dinner after which they could have all simply fallen asleep, but the wife and Robert still had much to relate to one another, and so all three settled back into the living room. Becoming relaxed helped the narrator cope with his insecurities. If a similar situation occurred within today’s society finding a good relaxation method; though each of us would still be uncomfortable physically, we would be on a level allowing us the ability to cope. Through relaxation we have applied a technique that is a good first approach to facing the situation. (I like this thought)