Raymond Carver's Cathedral

Cathedral is among the most prominent short stories by Raymond Carver, born in 1938 in Port Angeles, Washington, and died in 1988. The author was very influential and helped shape the American short story form and is considered among the greatest short storytellers. Cathedral and his other short stories are more realistic writings that reveal more about the working poor and mirrored his own life.

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Carver came from a poor background whose father was a sawmill worker. He married at a young age and supported his young family by doing menial jobs such as janitor, delivery jobs, and working as a gas-station attendant. He took a creative writing course in 1958 that ignited his interest in writing (Britannica). He began to write for magazines and later as a textbook editor before becoming a full-time writer. He suffered from alcoholism but later overcame the addiction and continued writing short stories. His works centers around the lives and problems of the poor workers. His characters often suffer from broken marriages, have a lot of financial issues, and have failed careers. However, these blue-collar characters do not understand and are not even aware of their anguish due to ignorance. Cathedral uses the first-person narrative and the theme of blindness to emphasize ignorance in society. The two elements help to reinforce the central meaning of the short story by giving the story of Bub, who encounters an eye-opening experience by interacting with a blind man. The short story highlights the need to review our perspective before judging others.

Cathedral is based on events of one day revolving around Bub, who is the main character, and a blind man who visits their home upon the invitation of Bub's wife. Initially, Bub does not like the blind man and seems intolerable, but in the end, he becomes open-minded due to their experiences with the blind man. At first, the Bub was only concerned about how the blind man will affect him, and he dismisses any role that he had played on the life of his wife in the past. Bub also lacks self-awareness because he pities the blind man's wife because he could not see her with his eyes, yet Bub hardly knows his wife though he can see her. When the blind man arrives, Bub is shocked because he does things meticulously, such as cutting meat and smoking cigarettes (Carver 206).

The use of first-person narration is effective because it makes these scenes vivid and makes the narrator look abnormal because he is not aware of what a blind man is capable of and what he is incapable of. Likewise, the blind man changes his perception of the narrator and becomes more human, which shapes our perception as well. In the end, when Bub guides the blind man to draw the cathedral, it reveals a strange experience and bewilderment because it is hard to imagine drawing a building with eyes closed. It is a momentous and remarkable moment that changes the perception of Bub and readers as well.

The theme of the short story reveals Raymond Carver's views and attitudes towards society. He views society as blind, preoccupied with their interests, and lacking self-awareness, which makes them psychologically blind. He seeks to show that people are ignorant of their situation and emphasizes the need to understand one's psychological blindness rather than pointing at others. According to the author, people can be physically blind, but they can see better than those with physical ability. He uses the story to show the importance of reviewing ourselves and our shortcomings before judging others.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Britannica. Raymond Carver. 29 Jul 2020. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raymond-Carver. 27 Sep 2020.

Carver, Raymond. Cathedral. Random House, 2016.