Cathedral of Revelation

“Cathedral” by Raymond James Carver is a story about overcoming prejudice. In the beginning, the narrator is suspicious of his wife’s friendship with Robert, this blind man from her past. His skepticism may partially be a product of jealousy, but it’s also because of his ignorance of blind people. As the story progresses, he changes from an insensitive jerk, with no hope for redemption, to someone who starts to figure out what blindness really is. The narrator is able to overcome his ideas about the blind through the time he spends with Robert.

The narrator has many preconceived notions about the blind. First, he has some enmity towards the concept of a blind man married to a woman. He makes statements like, “And then I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led. Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one” (¶15). To the narrator this is a travesty of the highest order. Next, he demonstrates his dislike for the blind quite bluntly when he says, “And his being blind bothered me…A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to”(¶ 1). The narrator is clearly not in any way, shape, or form ready to accept this kind of different person.

However, the narrator overcomes his bias by admiring the Robert’s handling of his blindness. First, Robert breaks down stereotypes that the narrator has about blind people’s abilities. The narrator is confident that the blind do not smoke. The narrator explains his why he thinks the blind do not smoke, and then he remarks, “But this blind man smoked his cigarette down to the nubbin and then lit another one. This blind man filled his ashtray and my wife emptied it” (¶42). The repudiation of this stereotype sets the stage for further appreciation. Next, he is truly impressed by the way the blind man is able to eat. He respects how Robert eats when he says, “The blind man had right away located his foods, he knew just where everything was on his plate. I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat” (¶45). This is the one of the first things the narrator sees Robert do, and he is impressed. Also, it is the first positive comment that the narrator makes about Robert.

The narrator is able to overcome his last vestiges of intolerance by spending time with Robert. First, the two men share drinks together. They both indicate that they have a preference scotch and then end up drinking it. Then, the men smoke together. Here, the men spend time together, and Robert shows kindness for the first time to the blind man, when he asks if the blind man is sleepy etc. This leads to the ultimate bonding experience that the two men share. They watch the show together about cathedrals. Then, finally, they get the idea to draw one together. Not only do the two men bond through this experience, but this is the first time in the entire story that the narrator truly begins to grasp what it is like to be blind. It would be hard to imagine that the narrator would have the same feelings for the blind as he did at the beginning of the story after this experience.

Raymond Carver seems to be demonstrating the power of just getting to know people that are different from you in this story. Prejudice against different people is unwarranted without actually getting to know them. When we spend time with people we are able to realize the quality and value of people whom we may be doubtful about.
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