Essay about Raymond Carvers Cathedral - 1056 Words

The husband in Raymond Carvers â€Å"Cathedral† wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, â€Å"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 137)† The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually†¦show more content†¦All this without his having ever seen what the goddamned woman looked like. It was beyond my understanding. (Carver 139)† The husband then started to think about the how he was starting to feel sorry for the blind man, and even more so the blind man’s wife. He thought of how sad of a life it must be for her having a husband that, â€Å"who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved; a woman whose husband could never see the expression on her face. (Carver 139)† The time came when the husband’s wife had to pick the blind man up from the depot as the husband stayed home. The husband was at home having a drink as he heard them pull into the driveway. The husband noticed his wife laughing and smiling with the blind ban which was amazing to him. So he finished his drink and walked to the door. His wife introduced them telling her husband the blind man’s name is Robert. The blind man had set down his suitcase and shook his hand saying, â€Å"I feel like we’ve already met, (Carver 140)† and the husband responds, â€Å"Likewise, (Carver 140)† at a loss for words. They moved as a group from the porch to the living room. They started small talking about their sofa and his train ride. The husband’s wife was so happy to see the blind man and didn’t really approve of the husband’s small talk when he asked, â€Å"Which side of the train did you sitShow MoreRelated Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay109 8 Words   |  5 PagesRaymond Carvers Cathedral Raymond Carver utilizes his character of the husband, who is also the narrator, in his short story Cathedral. From the beginning of the story the narrator has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, has a narrow mind, is detached emotionally from others, and is jealous of his wifes friendship with a blind man named Robert. He never connects with anyone emotionally until the end of this story. At the beginning of the story the husband is telling of a blindRead MoreEssay on Raymond Carvers Cathedral832 Words   |  4 PagesThe narrator in Raymond Carvers Cathedral has two fully functional eyes, in which he chooses never to use to their full potential. The eyes of the narrator are biased, insecure, jealous, and very limited in what they choose to see. This inability to see is made apparent when he is forced to meet and converse with a blind man. The narrators perception of the world around him, and blurred vision, is resolved by a great irony in the story when Roger helps the narrator see past his prejudice outlookRead MoreThe Theme Of Blindness In Raymond Carvers Cathedral745 Words   |  3 PagesIn Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator is seen to show ignorance and bias towards blindness throughout the story, however towards the end he realizes his flaws and the difference between looking and seeing. From the beginning of the story to the end y ou can see a change within the narrator after his encounter with the blind man. At the end of Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator hopes to accomplish a change in his understanding of himself, and his experience with Robert flickers this changeRead MoreThe Blind Man In Raymond Carvers Cathedral701 Words   |  3 PagesRaymond Carver’s short story â€Å"Cathedral† shows the interaction of two men, one physically blind and one prejudiced, with contrasting personalities. Overall, the story illustrates how having a closed mind is much more debilitating than permanently closed eyes. Carver tends to revolve his stories around the bleak lives of middle class members and the situations they face; this could be due to his personal life as an alcoholic, who struggled to support his family. â€Å"Cathedral† embodies certain aspectsRead MoreStereotypes in Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay1335 Words   |  6 Pagesin some way or another and uses them in social interactions. These generalizations, both positive and negative, about a characteristic(s) of a group (â€Å"Stereotypes) have existed throughout modern and historical societies. The husband in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† interacts with Robert based off of stereotypes formed from social norms and media portrayals of disabled persons. He treats Robert in a negative manner at first relying on those prejudices, but as he comes to know Robert, he re-developsRead More The Character of the Husband in Raymond Carvers Story Cathedral1108 Words   |  5 PagesThe Character of the Husband in Raymond Carvers Story Cathedral In Raymond Carvers Cathedral, the husbands view of blind men is changed when he encounters his wifes long time friend, Robert. His narrow minded views and prejudice thoughts of one stereotype are altered by a single experience he has with Robert. The husband is changed when he thinks he personally sees the blind mans world. Somehow, the blind man breaks through all of the husbands jealousy, incompetence for discernmentRead MoreTheme, Theme And Epiphary In Raymond Carvers Cathedral1051 Words   |  5 Pagescomponents to literature. Three major components in any work of literature are plot, theme, an epiphany. In the short story â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver plot, theme, and epiphany are exhibited in a myriad of ways. With the use of these literary concepts, this paper will analyze Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† Plot refers to the sequence of events in literary works. In â€Å"Cathedral†, the plot is displayed in many ways. The story is narrated by a man called Bub whose wife invites an old friend to visitRead More Blind Faith in Raymond Carvers Cathedral Essay920 Words   |  4 PagesBlind Faith in Raymond Carvers Cathedral      Ã‚   In the story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, the main character, goes through a major personal transformation.   At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice.   Through interaction with his wifes blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes.   Although at first he seemed afraid to associate with a blind man, Roberts outgoing personality left him with virtually noRead MoreMain Characters In Cathedral By Raymond Carvers Cathedral1174 Words   |  5 PagesThe title of the story is â€Å"Cathedral†, which was published in 1983. The author of the story is Raymond Carver who was an American, born in Oregon, that lived from 1938 until 1988. There are three main characters in the story. There is the husband, who was not named, that narrates the entire story. He seems to be very jealous of the blind man and uneasy about his visit to his home. There is the wife, who is also unnamed, that is very excited for the blind man to visit her home since she has not seenRead MoreCharacter Analysis OfCathedral By Raymond Carvers Cathedral1121 Words   |  5 Pagesdied and he came to visit the unnamed narrator and wife (Carver p.32-35). Once Robert walked through the door his appearance and personality surprised the narrator greatly. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator is constantly judging Robert because of his disability. The narrators’ analysis of the blind in â€Å"Cathedral† is somewhat harsh and very comparable to the critiques that are given to the blind today. The unnamed wife met Robert in Seattle a couple summers previously when she was on the