RAYMOND CARVER CATHEDRAL

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Summary Raymond Carver gives a story of a blind man who his wife met during her singlehood but during their relationship. His name was Robert. Robert who was going to pay a visit to their home courtesy of his wife. Robert is a blind man from Seattle who Raymond’s wife had been working for ten years ago. Raymond’s wife had seen an advertisement on a newspaper of a blind man who needed to assisted in his office in reading of documents such as reports and studies and since she had no job and was in need of money she contacted the man and was immediately taken for the job. During this period Raymond was in a relationship with his girlfriend who they had been friends from their childhood days. Raymond was in a military training therefore he had no money hence this gave the girlfriend a reason to look for a job. After summer period ended Raymond’s girlfriend was back and then they married. She did part with her employer who then married Beulah. Robert had lost his wife who they had lived inseparably for eight years. This time he had paid a visit to his wife’s relatives and then decided to visit his old friend who had once worked in his office as a secretary. Her work was organizing the office and reading the documents to the man. They communicated through tapes which they mailed to each other. Raymond was not passionate about blind people since he had not interacted with them. He says that he only saw them in movies and he did not expect any of them in his house. Raymond’s wife was a poet and she composed poems of important things that happened in a life. She wrote them twice a year, which she occasionally send the poems to her blind friend in settle which enabled them to keep in touch. The blind man arrives and at the airport and his friend takes their car and goes for him and then they drive back home. Raymond as wondering how they would live with the blind man and he really pleaded with his wife that the man doesn’t visit them. The wife explains that this man is but a widower so they needed to accommodate him. She could not imagine how the blind man had lived with his wife. A person that could not compliment her when she looked good and also who could not see her expressions towards something good or bad. Robert finally arrives at Raymond’s home and he is warmly welcomed. They continuously took drinks and smoked cigarettes as they watch the television and then comes a time for dinner. The TV show brought on the screen a cathedral, all the blind man knows about the cathedral was that, it was a big building that accommodated so many workers and then Raymond got himself explaining what a cathedral was to the blind man. He said that it was a tall and big such that they needed extra support that was provided by buttresses. It’s a building whereby the people of the old went to worship their God. Analysis Robert is a blind but a social man. He gets to meet a caring girl who works for him during the period of summer. She sees the advertisement on paper and a telephone number about a blind man who needed an office assistant to neatly organize it and read for him the documents that he dealt with in the county social-service department. The girl does not hesitate to contact the man and then she gets the job. This shows how indiscriminative the girl was considering that the man was blind. She offers to work for him. The girl is also a person that easily makes new friends and interactive. She is also outspoken. When the work comes to an end the blind man requests that he would pass his fingers over her face, touching her lips and nose. She also continues to communicate with him through calls and sends to him the tapes that she makes. In addition the girl shown to be creative, she makes the tapes that she gives her husband to listen to and sends some to her friend. On the other hand Robert is presented to love, in Raymond’s story the wife says that Robert had lived with his wife inseparably and during her death he held her hand with tears flowing down his cheeks. He also loves visiting others; he pays a visit to his in laws and extends the visit to his old friend. Raymond is afraid of interacting with blind people; he says that he only sees the in movies. He tells his wife that when his friends visit him he would make them comfortable but unfortunately he has got no blind friends. He is also sociable by the way he interacts with Robert and he adapts. He is also depicted to be generous, he asks Robert if he would take a drink and he offers so many things including cigarettes. Raymond is not a religious man as he says to Robert.