...RAYMOND CARVER CATHEDRAL Student’s name Institution 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...
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...Alvin Veras Safia Ahmad English 108-OP95(1) 27 November 2015 Analysis of Cathedral by Raymond Carver In “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, it is about two men who are blind, one physically and the other psychologically. Carver uses a narrator who is a faux naif narrating his story about his life. The narrator’s wife has an old blind friend named, Robert. The story is about transcendence where although the unnamed narrator can physically see things, he lacks the wisdom and potential to see the greatness in other aspects of life that one could be limited due to physical factors. The narrator is given a gift of seeing a cathedral through the eyes of a blind man as his character develops from being psychologically blind to being able to see life from a different perspective. To understand the meaning of “Cathedral,” it is helpful first to analyze the author’s style of writing. Carver uses the first-person point of view to allow the audience to see the narrator’s thought process and reasoning. With the use of this style of writing, Carver can convey the narrator’s bigotry based on his stereotype and lack of knowledge towards a blind person. The narrow-mindedness of the narrator is apparent on how he refers to his wife’s close friend as just a blind man “a blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver 266). He was displeased when he found out that the blind man was coming for a visit. In addition, this gives the audience the opportunity to see into...
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...While reading the story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, I found a few different kinds of language and communication. As human beings, we have trouble with communicating, understanding what someone else is trying to tell us, or expressing ourselves from time to time. This can be very misleading and can sometimes cause a problem without trying to. Cathedral is trying to tell us that there are different ways of communicating and that there are different languages other than actually speaking. Trying to put yourself in someone else's position can change your perspective. In the beginning of the story, the narrator's wife is expecting a visit from an old friend named Robert that she used to work with, whom is blind. The narrator (husband) is not happy about it at all and does not give a valid reason for it, even though the wife recently attempted suicide, he does not think about how the blind man's visit may help her; "I was not enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me."(Carver 34). He has a hard time...
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...Jessica Comeaux Mrs. Johnson English 1302 January 26, 2016 CATHEDRAL Raymond Carver’s, “Cathedral” is narrated by a man whose wife invited an old friend who is blind to come for a visit. When the story begins, the narrator is not looking forward to the blind man, Robert’s, visit because he thinks blind people are depressing. Robert’s wife passed away a short time ago and he traveled to Connecticut to visit her family. While Robert was there he made plans to visit the narrator and his wife at their home. Robert had previously employed the wife of the narrator, when she lived in Seattle. Her job was to read to him and organize his little office in the county social service department. Throughout the years, they kept in contact by mailing thorough tapes of their lives to each other....
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...The Plot and Theme in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” Raymond Carver states that by the mid-1960s he was tired of reading and writing “long narrative fiction” (“On Writing” 46). Shorter fiction, he found, was more immediate. This mode of thought may help us to understand why Carver turned to compose shorter works of fiction like “Cathedral,” a work that acts as a brief glance into how one man’s physical blindness helps another man begin to overcome his own spiritual blindness. Carver’s thematic plots could convey alternate meaning—both directly and indirectly. “Cathedral” introduces the theme of blindness, shown by “this blind man” (Carver 709), but concludes by addressing the deeper theme of internal or spiritual blindness by the host. Therefore, the plot and theme of “Cathedral” relay simultaneous levels of meaning to the reader. “Cathedral” tells a story of an irreligious man, who learns a spiritual lesson from a blind man: “But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do” (Carver 718). That’s why at the end of the story he does not open his eyes for he wants to “keep them that way for a little longer” so that he can see clearly in his mind. There are two types of blindness, but when we talk about blindness, we usually think of the blindness on our physical body rather than the blindness in our mind. In “Cathedral” both Robert and the host are blind: one is blind in external sight, and the other one is...
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...Estera Domian Professor Marranca Final Paper August 10, 2011 What really is epiphany? How does one notice it when someone experiences it? At first glance, one might assume that “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver portrays the revival of an isolated, heartless, and insensitive husband to the “blind” world. He does not open his eyes literally, but mentally, also to the religious world. There have been many indicators in the story which lead the husband to have an epiphany. The first hint of religious epiphany can be seen in the title and the structure of the story. Also, the dialogue and the actions of the character reveal the lack of religious belief. Although the narrator had the ability to see all along, he never realized the world that could be in the eyes of a blind man resulting in deeper connection to the “blind” world as well as to the eyes of God. The first, overall indicators pointing towards religious epiphany are found in the structure and the title of the story. The eventual subject of the story is as well as its title refer towards divinity. Only by reading the title, one can already imagine the religious image. Another interesting fact is the about one third of the entire story is focused on cathedrals. This being the base of the story gives a reader the first hints of the epiphany that the narrator will experience. Reading on, the dialogue and the actions of the narrator lead to epiphany as well. Besides the obvious indicators of religious epiphany...
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...Inside The Cathedral In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, Carver touches on a personal experience. Carver and his wife were going to have a house guest, a man that his wife had worked with ten years ago over the summer in Seattle. Carver’s wife had stayed in touch with this man, Robert, over the years. The visit was bittersweet, though Robert was going to be reunited with a long-time friend; it was under the conditions that his wife had passed way. He’d come to Connecticut to visit his late-wife’s family and stay with the Carvers. There was one catch, however. Robert was completely blind and this made Raymond carver extremely uneasy, saying that “a wink and a nod are the same to a blind man.” Raymond’s taking on the situation; catering to a blind man; was very socially ignorant. Admittedly so, he said “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” (Carver, lines :_). Raymond also offered to take the “blind man” bowling, which is truly a sad, if not just cynical image to bear. Raymond’s wife was extremely nervous to be accommodating to the Robert as well, but it was an excitable nervousness. She longed to be reunited with him, to share stories and catch up, but this was also a man her husband had never met; she could sense the tinge of jealousy and irritation in the air around her husband. She was...
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...direction of what you want to see and the image instantaneously appears. The inner, invisible, intangible characteristics require more than receptors and neurons to visualize. Thought and personal investment are required in the visualization of the intangible. In “Cathedral”, Raymond Carver suggests blindness is often an affliction of the heart and soul and not the eyes. Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is a short story about a husband’s journey to enlightenment. A longtime friend of the wife comes to visit after the death of his wife. The wife meets the blind man, Robert, ten years prior while looking for a summer job. She becomes his assistant. The wife reads briefs, reports, and helps organize the blind man’s office. Over the years the wife and blind man keep in touch; corresponding by sending audio tapes through the mail (Carver). The visit from the blind man is not something the husband is excited about. He remains disconnected from the conversation most of the evening. When the wife falls to sleep, the husband is forced to engage with the blind man. With the persistence of the blind man, the husband engages in a conversation about cathedrals. It is through the process of describing the cathedrals to the blind man that the life of the...
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...Ashley Duffel Ms. Keitel English 112 2 April. 2015 Cathedral Short Story Analysis Raymond Carver based Cathedral in the era where the color television has just replaced the basic black and white television. The narrator is the husband, whose name is unknown. The story takes place in the home of the narrator and his wife. Because of this, I believe it is safe to assume the husband was chosen by Carver to be the narrator so we can see how this character changes throughout the story that is influenced in a more intimate setting. In Cathedral, the narrator has restricted awareness of the blind and has developed poor relationship skills. However when the story progresses, the narrator is able to overcome his limited way of thinking, prejudices, and social awkardness by interacting with the blind man. Robert, the antagonist, is a blind man that defies the husband’s stereotypes by being open and perceptive, and quick witted. Robert is a dear friend of the husband’s wife, which the husband is not too terribly happy about. The husband is not able to understand how his wife could possibly have anything in common with a blind person, let alone a blind man. The husband has never encountered a visibly impaired person, so his assumptions of how they should act and look are based on television shows. He assumes that this blind man will move slow and not laugh (Carver, 34). Along with his prejudices, the husband appears to have a poor relationship with his wife, as well as others. It...
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...Ignorance is Not Bliss Cathedral, written by Raymond Carver, is a short fiction essay with the narrator as the real protagonist that goes through a significant transformation. The author’s choice of point of view as well as, the theme and symbolism shown in Cathedral provide evidence to support the protagonist’s epiphany of overcoming his own prejudices. An important theme includes ignorance and understanding and the main symbol of the story is the cathedral itself. These components of the story are important in bringing out the narrator’s epiphany, where he comes to accept people for how they are and realize that he is not superior to someone who has an impairment. Carver chose first person as the point of view for this story. First person narrators are characters who tell the story from the perspective of “I” or “We”. This point of view gives the reader a chance to experience the story how the narrator sees and understands the world. In Cathedral, our narrator speaks in short, chopped sentences in the beginning. This shows the reader that he is lacking self-awareness, arrogant, and/or insecure. The narrator only sees Robert as a blind man, from the start. Throughout the story as the narrator gets to know Robert better, he becomes more descriptive with his sentences and his structure is not as choppy. This is important in showing his change of traits. This demonstrates to the readers that the narrator grows from ignorant to more open-minded and accepting, especially of...
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...Mallory Russell 06/12/15 Comparison Essay ENG 102 Online “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver versus “A + P” by John Updike In the short stories “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver and “A + P” by John Updike the protagonists experience an epiphany that change their restricted way of thinking. The main character, “Sammy” in John Updike’s, “A + P” is a teenage boy working in the town grocery store. Sammy experiences an epiphany when he decides to quit his job at the grocery store. He quit because he believed that it was wrong of his boss to treat customers poorly due to any pre-conceived notion that was determined by what the customer looks like. Raymond Carver’s main character named “the husband” in his story “Cathedral” experiences an epiphany when he realizes he has wrongly stereotyped, a visiting friend of his wife’s named “Robert” because he blind. The theme of both of the stories, “Cathedral” and “A+P” is that the main characters are influenced and motivated by other individuals within the story to change their close-minded thinking. In “Cathedral” the character Robert, served as the husband’s motivation for change when he comes to stay with the husband and his wife. The three teenage girls in “A + P”, serve as the motivation to change Sammy’s way of thinking when they enter the grocery store dressed risqué to the grocery store’s standards. Raymond Carver portrayed the husband in “Cathedral” as a cynical person from the beginning of the story. The husband’s wife enjoyed sharing...
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...The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver describes an encounter between the narrator of the story and a blind man named Robert. Robert is visiting because he is friends with the narrator’s wife. At first, the narrator has many ignorant expectations of Robert, but later learns that Robert is nothing as he had expected; the narrator is ignorantly antipathic towards Robert yet is oblivious to his own constraints of sight. In this story about communication and understanding between people, Raymond Carver suggests that seeing beyond the surface involves more than simply looking, and that communicating and looking inward can provide knowledge and a superior understanding of oneself. Throughout the beginning of this story, the narrator believes that the ability of sight is everything. He is uncomfortable with a blind man staying at his house describing it as “not something I looked forward to” (Carver 240). When the wife mentions that Robert’s deceased wife was named Beulah, the narrator asks if she was a negro; this offends the wife so she asks “are you crazy? Have you just flipped or something?” (242). The colour of Beulah’s skin...
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...Essay ENWR 106-11 August 8, 2013 Even the Blind Can One Day See In the short story “Cathedral” the speaking voice comes from the character known as the husband. The husband appears to narrate the story with the intent of telling it like it is. He makes his opinions, usually negative, very well known to the reader, which I believe makes him appear that much more human to the audience. I chose this story for my final paper because I was able to develop a connection with the husband, or perhaps it was just a feeling of empathy. I could relate to his situation; just like him, at times I find myself feeling lost, troubled, and blind to all the positive things in my life. The husband in Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral,” provides an honest depiction of the young to middle-aged adult struggling to understand his or her place in society. However, it also sheds optimism on the subject by reminding us that we are all capable of change. In this paper, I plan to prove that Raymond Carver provides an extremely honest depiction of the character known as the husband, to address to the audience that even the most flawed are capable of lasting change. The husband stays up every night drinking and smoking marijuana numbing the pain of the life he has made for himself and just feels trapped. To quote the husband, “Every night I smoked dope and stayed up as long as I could before I fell asleep” (Carver 34). I think the husband in this story uses drugs and alcohol as an escape from that...
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...In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” the author introduces the readers to a common flaw in society. As people, many see disabilities as a weakness. Carver adopts this attitude in the story in the form of the husband’s prejudiced nature. The way he first greets his wife’s friend is out of obligation and is strained considerably. He sees the blind man named Robert as a relic of his wife’s past who can be treated with contempt. It is not until the near end of the short story does he actually attempt to understand this visitor through conversation. At the mention of a cathedral the two unknowingly rely on each other to show the true meaning of the grand church. The husband is forced to illustrate the depth of such a place to one who has never seen the grandeur of the cathedrals. The blind visitor in exchange transforms the man with understanding and enlightenment of himself and others. The interaction...
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...The narrator in the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is a stubborn man. The narrator constantly takes shots at Robert’s blindness while he has his own issues seeing. The narrator is not necessarily blind but does not see the limits he has put on himself. The narrator does not have the sight in the wonder of things, potential, and humanity in general. The narrator is a mean yet glib individual that has a sense of dark humor to him. He is really talkative though and clever. The glibness disappears at the conclusion of the story though when he is able to recognize how he has been. He is also detached from himself and feels as if he is in control. Constant drug use and alcohol is an easy way to understand this. Also throughout the story he does not ever mention jealousy he has of Robert and the former relationship that he had with his wife. “I heard my own name in the mouth of this Stanger,...
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