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 theme of the poem Cathedral?
The themes of
loneliness, communication, blindness, and friendship
are linked throughout this story. Communication staves off loneliness by creating human connections that can lead to important, lifelong friendships.
What is the main point of the story Cathedral?
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 does the narrator learn in Cathedral?
The narrator learns from Robert
that it is possible to be able to see without understanding and to understand without seeing
. Robert has never seen the narrator's wife, but he knows all about her thoughts and feelings, which the narrator doesn't.
Why is the story called Cathedral?
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.
What defines a Cathedral?
cathedral. noun. Definition of cathedral (Entry 2 of 2) 1 :
a church that is the official seat of a diocesan bishop
. 2 : something that resembles or suggests a cathedral (as in size or importance) a cathedral of business the sports cathedral.
What is the irony in Cathedral?
There is situational irony in Raymond Carver's short story “Cathedral.” That is, there is an
incongruity between what is expected to happen and what does
. In “Cathedral,” the narrator and his wife are somewhat estranged, mainly because the narrator/husband is unsociable and withdrawn.
What type of poem is Cathedral?
This poem is
a protest poem
, loved much for its message and brevity than for any respect for literary devices. It is one of Kofi Awoonor's more popular poems. The poem begins in line 1 with the poet pointing to a ‘dirty patch' where he claims ‘a tree once stood' (line 2).
What does blindness symbolize in Cathedral?
In “Cathedral,” blindness has a two-fold meaning. It represents both
Robert's lack of sight and the narrator's more intangible failures of perception
: his inability to understand other people's feelings and his inability to find meaning or joy in his life.
What is the style of poem?
The meaning of “style” in poetry refers
to all the choices that are made to create the poem's meaning
. Style can include technical choices, such as using short or long lines, varying or omitting punctuation, or using a set rhythm or rhyme scheme.
What does the narrator realize at the end of Cathedral?
Through helping Robert to draw and be able to “see” the Cathedral, the narrator has an almost religious experience of his own, finally realizing
the value of seeing people and things from multiple points of view
.
Who is the main character or protagonist of the story Cathedral?
The narrator
, the narrator's wife, Robert
The narrator is the most obvious protagonist of the story. He might not be the most likeable character, but he's the person telling the story, and seems to change the most in that story.
What is the main conflict in Cathedral?
The primary conflict in “Cathedral” is
the narrator's interior conflict over his feelings of loneliness, prejudice, and inferiority
.
Why does the blind man tell the narrator to close his eyes while he is drawing?
He asks the narrator to close his eyes while he draws in
order to help him free his imagination from the confines of line and shape so he can feel the essence or spirit of the cathedral
. By not looking at the lines being drawn on the paper, the narrator isn't limited by the image he is drawing.
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 does the ending of Cathedral mean?
“Cathedral” concerns the change in one man's understanding of himself and the world, and Carver ends the story at exactly the moment when this change flickers in the narrator's mind. … In fact, the narrator's final words, “
It's really something
,” reveal him to be the same curt, inarticulate man he's always been.
