Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" - Review

"Cathedral"

Author: Raymond Carver

Main Characters:

Unnamed narrator - The unnamed narrator is a man in his forties who has little understanding about having personal relationships. He and his wife are somewhat distant toward each other and he has no really close friends. He suffers from substance abuse, continually having one drink after another as well as smoking marijuana during the story.

The narrator's unnambed wife - The unnamed wife is pleasant, polite, and patient with her husband. She has maintained a friendship with Robert over the years and is looking forward to seeing him. The wife is prone to depression which is evident due to the fact that she at one time did attempt to commit suicide.

Robert - A blind man who used to employ the narrator's wife. She and the blind man developed a very strong bond. The wife had to resign as Robert's employee because she and her exhusband (the narrator is her second husband) were moving out of town. She and Robert maintained contact through tapes they sent each other over the course of 10 years. Robert has recently lost his wife. He is an overnight house guest of the narrator and the wife.

Summary:
"Cathedral" begins by giving the readers some background information on the relationship between Robert and the narrator's wife. Robert is blind and the narrator's wife used to work for him an read to him. At the time of her meeting with Robert, she was married to someone else who was in the Air Force. The two were relocated and moved away from the town they shared with Robert. In an effort to maintain their friendship, Robert and the narrator's wife communicate by sending tapes to each other on a regular basis.

Robert's wife has recently passed away and he hasn't seen the narrator's wife in over 10 years. He has never met the narrator. He is on his way to pay them a visit and the narrator is very anxious about having a blind man visit. The narrator goes on and on about how he has never even met a blind person before. He wonders what it would be like to not even know what your wife looked like. He says odd things to his wife regarding her friend, such as "Maybe I'll take him bowling." There is a distinct impression in the story that lends evidence to feelings of jealousy harbered by the narrator regarding his wife's close friendship with Robert. At one point the narrator says to his wife, "I don't have any blind friends" to which she replied, "You don't have any friends. Period."

The narrator watches as his wife pulls into the driveway after picking Robert up from the train station. He notices how they are smiling and laughing while they talk and they are both very animated. He watches as his wife excorts Robert to the door and into the house. The wife introduces the two men and they exchange pleasantries, although Robert's comments are perceived as more sincere than the narrators. Robert has an ease with people that is not evident in the narrator's communication. The narrator suggests that they all have a drink, so, he pours each a very tall glass of scotch. They sit down for dinner and have another drink with dinner, then dessert.

After dinner the group headed to the living room and had a few more drinks and chatted about trivial things. They smoked marijuana and had even more drinks. Eventually, the narrator grew weary of the conversation and turned on the television. The wife fell asleep on the couch, so essentially, the two men were there alone with each other. The narrator kept Robert informed as to what was happening on the television. The weather report came and went, then the narrator changed the station to a show about cathedrals. The two men started to discuss cathedrals with the narrator asking Robert how he envisions cathedrals. The narrator's efforts at describing cathedrals to Robert were in vain and the narrator knew he was lacking the ability to properly convey a good illustration for Robert. Robert then asked the narrator for some paper and suggested he draw a cathedral. The narrator came back with paper and pencil and he began to draw. Robert put his hand on top of his hand so he could feel where the pencil went on the page. Robert encouraged the narrator to keep drawing and to include some people in the cathedral. Then, Robert asks the narrator to close his eyes. He complys. Robert says, "Keep them that way. Don't stop now. Draw." Robert said, "You've got it. Take a look. What do you think?" The narrator did not open his eyes. He had an epiphany and tells the reader, "My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything." He then says to Robert as the story concludes, "It's really something."


Reaction:
What do I think about what I've read?
This is a story about a man who was truly blind - the narrator. While he enjoyed literal eyesight, there was so much around him in an emotional sense that he was blind to. He was not very adept at building relationships, lacked true friendships, and had a somewhat dull relationship with his wife. His focus was on escape the superficial and he had a serious drinking problem. Almost in every scene, he is depicted as "having a few more drinks." It is when he connects with Robert and shuts his eyes that he is ushered into Robert's world for just a moment. Experiencing life as Robert does gives the narrator a new perspective on things and he is able to realize he has been missing out on a lot that life has to offer.
What can I imagine that is not specifically outlined?
As a reader, I could visualize in my mind the scenes the narrator describes. I saw the narrator and his wife as very middle class living in a small, tidy, ranch home. I could sense the closeness between Robert and the narrator's wife. Had I been the wife, I probably would have asked my husband to please stop drinking so much.

What is my favorite passage in the story?
My favorite part is where the narrator asks his wife if the blind man had been married to a black woman because her name was Beulah. He states that he thinks of Beulah as being a black woman's name to which she replies, "Are you crazy? Have you flipped or something? What's wrong with you? Are you drunk?"

I found her reaction to his question to be quite amusing.

What is my emotional response to what I've read?
I feel it is ironic that it is a blind man who taught a sighted man to see in this story. It is by feeling that we can truly see, and the narrator was numbing himself to feeling with all the alcohol and marijuana. The beauty of this story is that he taught him not to see with his eyes, rather with his heart.

How would I feel if this happened to me?
I am looking at the situation from the wife's point of view and I would most likely not be very happy with my husband and his behavior. His continual drinking would anger me as would his marijuana use. I would be very unhappy.

How does this reading relate to my own life?
I don't see a connection with this particular story and my own life.

Would I recommend this story for someone else to read?
I would recommend this as a good read for anyone who appreciates literature. I was surprised at the ending as I had myself convinced the narrator's wife was going to end up with Robert.

I also find it interesting that so much reference is made to alcohol in this story. I feel this story could have an autobiographical element, as Carver was indeed an alcoholic who died at the very young age of 49.

About the Author:
Raymond Carver lived from 1938 - 1988 and was known to be a raving alcoholic, which is thought to have contributed to his death. He typically writes about the average citizen, and often includes alcohol in the story lines. He writes about every day, commonplace situations that most people can relate to.