In Cathedral by Raymond Carver we have the theme of
jealousy, insecurity, isolation, detachment and connection
. Taken from his collection of the same name the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man and from the beginning of the story the reader realises how detached the narrator is.
What is the message of the Cathedral?
The main theme of “Cathedral” is
that human connection occurs in various forms and degrees
. The characters illustrate that people have different ways and abilities to connect and relate to others; some are more successful than others.
What is the moral lesson of the story Cathedral?
Cathedral teaches many lessons. While reading, it felt like Raymond Carver meant to teach his readers,
that there is good in every situation a person face's in life
. A person may not see the good at the moment; the good will be seen at some point with time.
What is the significance of the Cathedral in Cathedral?
The cathedral symbolizes
to both the blind man and the narrator
in Raymond Carver's “Cathedral” the possibility to apprehend a whole new dimension of reality. Through drawing the cathedral with Robert, the narrator is able to gain a glimpse into a completely different world, one that he'd previously never seen.
What is the point of view of Cathedral by Raymond Carver?
Carver uses
a first-person narrator
to tell the story of “Cathedral” to emphasize the bewildering aspects of the transcendent moment that he relates in the story.
How does the narrator convey the idea of a Cathedral to the blind man?
The act of drawing a cathedral with Robert with his eyes closed, however, lets
the narrator look inside himself and understand the greater meaning
. As a result, his description of the cathedral takes on a more human element, which liberates the narrator and allows him to truly see for the first time.
Why is the story called Cathedral by Raymond Carver?
By Raymond Carver
Cathedrals don't make an appearance in this story until the third section, and then it's fairly obvious why the story is called “Cathedral.” Cathedrals are the subject of the television documentary and
of the narrator and Robert's drawing
. A cathedral is a cathedral is a kind of church.
How does the story cathedral end?
Carver finishes “Cathedral” with
a “zero ending
,” leaving the narrator with his eyes closed, imagining the cathedral he has just drawn with Robert. A zero ending is an ending that doesn't neatly tie up the strands of a story.
Who is the narrator in the story cathedral?
The protagonist and narrator of Raymond Carver's “Cathedral” is
a middle-aged unnamed man
. Through interior monologue, the narrator shows himself to be cynical and insensitive, especially to the poetry written by his wife.
What is significant about the fact that Robert and Beulah are the only characters named in the story?
In “Cathedral” what is significant about the fact that Robert and Beulah are the only characters named in the story? Robert and Beulah are
named because they are more fully realized characters than the narrator and his wife.
Why does Robert the blind man in the story visit the narrator's home?
Why does Robert, the blind man in the story, visit the narrator's home?
He is visiting his deceased wife's in-laws who live in the region
. … How did the narrator's wife attempt to commit suicide when married to her first husband? She swallowed a mix of pills and alcohol.
What is the effect of the first person narrator of cathedral on the story?
What is the effect of the first-person narrator of “Cathedral” on the story? The first-person narrator
gives a limited perspective
. In this case, the narrator's lack of self-awareness and insight provide a very limited perspective, allowing the reader to experience first-hand the narrator's isolation and disaffection.
What does the narrator think of blind people in Cathedral?
Prejudice In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
From the outset, the narrator acknowledges his prejudice by mentioning that
his “idea of blindness came from the movies
. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed” (Carver, 1).
Why isn't the narrator happy that Robert is coming?
Robert's wife has recently died, and he's coming to visit the narrator and his wife. The narrator isn't happy about this.
He thinks blind people are sad and depressing
. … She told him she wasn't happy with her life as an officer's wife.
What does Robert symbolize in Cathedral?
The cathedral that the narrator draws with Robert represents
true sight
, the ability to see beyond the surface to the true meaning that lies within. Before the narrator draws the cathedral, his world is simple: he can see, and Robert cannot.
What is the main conflict in Cathedral?
In Raymond Carver's “Cathedral,” the
relationship between the narrator and his wife is one of distanced silence and isolation
. This is caused by the narrator's constant drinking and smoking of marijuana as well as his wife's responses to feelings of loneliness.
What does the narrator mean when he says it's really something at the end of the story?
Instead Carver ends the story the moment the narrator experiences a deeper connection to another person. The ending statement, “It's really something,”
conveys the narrator's awe, which deeply contrasts
the narrator's anecdotal and familiar tone in the beginning of the story.
What type of character is Robert in Cathedral?
Robert is
an insightful, compassionate man
who takes the time to truly listen to others, which helps him to “see” them better than he could with his eyes. Robert and the narrator's wife have been listening to each other for the past ten years through the audiotapes they send back and forth.
What is the narrator's attitude toward his wife in Cathedral?
The narrator is extremely focused on his wife throughout the story, and seems grounded in
the role of husband
. While he doesn't seem happy in his marriage, he does seem to love and admire his wife. He tells us the intimate details of her life, but he doesn't tell us anything that would make us not like her.
What is the husband's name in Cathedral?
Robert
visits the narrator and his wife after his own wife, Beulah, dies. He is a caring, easygoing man who sets even the narrator at ease.
What does Robert Call the narrator in Cathedral?
In “Cathedral” why does Robert call the narrator “
Bub
,” and what does this name suggest about the relationship between Robert and the narrator? Robert's use of the nickname “Bub” emphasizes the difference in their ages. Robert, in his late forties, is probably 10 or more years older than the narrator.
How does Robert surprise the narrator in Cathedral?
Robert smokes enough to fill an ashtray. This surprises the narrator because
he “read somewhere that the blind didn't smoke because […] they couldn't see the smoke they exhaled”
(1.43).
How does the narrator change in the Cathedral?
The transformation of the narrator comes rather unexpectedly. From the beginning of the story,
he can see Robert as a mere blind man
. He resents him and dismisses him as useless and weak. In fact, the narrator's stereotypical associations of the blind man are not different with that of a common person.
What did the narrator's wife do after the blind man touched her face?
He says that on the last day of her job there, the blind man touched her face and she wrote a poem about the experience. The narrator then describes his wife's past. She married her childhood sweetheart and
became an officer's wife
.
What is the narrator's reaction to Robert's impending visit How does Robert surprise the narrator?
As the narrator assumes that Robert will be like this, he doesn't welcome his imminent appearance in his home. Yet Robert surprises the narrator,
disabusing him of his prejudices concerning the blind
.
How do Robert and the narrator's wife communicate during their decade of separation?
How do Robert and the narrator's wife communicate during their decade of separation?
They record audiotapes and send them to each other.
What is the narrator's nightly ritual What does this say about him Cathedral?
As stated by Raymond Carver “
There has to be tension, a sense that something is imminent, that certain things are in relentless motion, or else, most often, there simply won't be a story
.” These elements (“tension”, “something is imminent”) allow a reader not only to be engaged in the story but also keeps them at the …
Why does Robert lift his beard in Cathedral?
If we examine the instances when Robert performs this curious behaviour, we can see that this gesture is something that indicates
Robert's need to reassure himself that he is OK
. The beard is something that the narrator focuses on from the first time he sees Robert, saying: “The blind man,…
