Cathedral Written By Reymond Carver

Published in 1983, Raymond Carver's short story “Cathedral” explores the theme of ignorance through the first person narrator's journey from insecurity to openness. The narrator begins as close-minded and fearful of what he does not understand; as the story progresses, he begins to have his eyes opened, ironically with the help of a blind man.

“Cathedral” Plot Summary

The story's narrator informs the readers that a friend of his wife's, a man who happens to be blind, is on his way to visit. The narrator is not enthusiastic about the visit because blind people make the narrator uncomfortable, mainly because the narrator has no real experience with the blind.

In addition to his uneasiness with the blind, the narrator is uncomfortable with his wife's relationship with the blind man. The wife and Robert, the blind man, have maintained a close relationship via tape recordings mailed back and forth, and the narrator finds this unsettling. Despite the narrator's feelings about the visit, Robert shows up, and the three of them dine together, and Robert and the narrator get to know each other.

Theme and Meaning

At the end of “Cathedral,” the narrator has a life-changing moment, or an epiphany, while trying to tell Robert what a cathedral looks like. The narrator, when first trying to explain what the cathedral looks like, struggles for the words. However, upon Robert's encouragement, loosens up, and draws the cathedral with Robert, guiding his hand with a pencil onto paper.

This is a close personal connection and intimate moment of communication for the narrator, and it impacts him greatly. The narrator is able to connect with Robert, and this is the moment where the narrator can put aside his insecurities and actually interact with someone else. It changes the narrator; he says, “It was like nothing else in ...