A Blind Man’s Gift in Carver’s Cathedral Essay - 891 Words

A Blind Man’s Gift in Cathedral In Raymond Carver’s story, Cathedral, one man’s prejudice is overcome by another man’s gift. The husband in the story is given the gift of seeing a cathedral through a blind man’s eyes. The true gift comes from the cathedral, which represents the husband’s prejudice and the blind man’s open-mindedness. This gift is the revelation the husband experiences while he looks at the cathedral with his eyes still closed. According to Anatole Broyard Cathedral is a lovely piece about a blind man who asks an acquaintance to guide his hand in sketching a cathedral he has never seen. At the end, the two hands moving together—one guided by the other—come to seem a gesture of fraternity (101). The†¦show more content†¦. . . The story is about learning how to imagine and feel (103). Because Robert is so open and so understanding, he teaches the husband to imagine and to feel like a blind man. The husband looses his prejudice through the drawing of the cathedral because Robert guides him, not because he guides Robert. Robert’s being open to new things impresses the husband, and this is evident when the husband and Robert smoke cannabis together. As the story progresses, the husband gradually becomes more comfortable with Robert and forgets his preconceived notions about him. The climax of the story comes in the end when the husband experiences a revelation about what it is like to be a blind man. Seeing is believing, or in this case, not seeing is believing. As the husband starts to explain the cathedral he becomes frustrated because this is a totally new experience for him and he does not think he is doing well. Then Robert conveniently says, Terrific. You’re doing fine. Never thought anything like this could happen in your lifetime, did you, bub? Well, it is a strange life, we all know that. Go on now. Keep it up (Carver 1061). Robert comforts the husband, and he inspires the husband to be open to new things just as Robert himself is. During the story, the husband reveals his own realm of darkness when he admits to Robert, I guess I’m agnostic or something (Johnson 282). The husband realizes that he too is blind in a way. He is blind toShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1426 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†: The Narrator Literature has the potential to act as a mirror by presenting people’s lived experiences, expectations, and perceptions through characters. Such is what can be deciphered through the analysis of different characters in Raymond Carver’s story â€Å"Cathedral.† This paper focuses on the narrator of the story portrayed by the author as blind, which is used metaphorically not to imply physical blindness, but the inability to have reasonedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Cathedral 1734 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Cathedral is a famous short story by American writer and poet Raymond Carver. The story was first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1981 and appeared in The Americas Best Short Stories in 1982. In the short story cathedral, the unnamed narrator’s wife’s blind friend is coming to visit. The narrator isn’t thrilled about his wife’s blind friend coming to visit nor is he happy that the man is blind. Later in the evening the narrator experiences a life changing realization of the trueRead MoreCathedral By Raymond Carver Analysis1631 Words   |  7 Pages Cathedral is a short story written by American writer and poet Raymond Carver. (2017) The story was first published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1981 and appeared in The Americas Best Short Stories in 1982. (2012) In the short story cathedral, the narrator’s wife’s blind friend is coming to visit. The narrator isn’t thrilled about his wife’s blind friend coming to visit nor is he happy that the man is blind. Later in the evening the narrator experiences a life changing realization of the true meaningRead MoreCathedral827 Words   |  4 Pages1. Read Raymond Carvers Cathedral (pp. 32 - 42) and Sherman Alexies Flight Patterns (pp. 54 - 67). 2. Briefly write the historical and cultural contexts of each story. When and where do they take place? What hints, references, or details do the authors give to let you know the time and place of each story, and/or the cultural background of the characters? Be as specific and concise as possible. The story â€Å"Cathedral† mainly takes place at the husband and wife’s home on a cold evening somewhere