Who Is The Narrator In Cathedral

Cathedral’s Narrator In Raymond Carver’s story, “Cathedral,” he touches on the dangers of stereotypes and the importance of real communication. This story is told through the eyes of a judgmental narrator, who is also a husband. Though his character may seem dull at the beginning, his role helps shape the meaning of the story and is an example of the different themes. The narrator gives the reader a look inside the effects of being closed off, not valuing communication, and being judgmental. From the very beginning of the story, it is easy to pick up on the fact that the narrator does not have much of a social life outside of the house. When he speaks of the tapes his wife and the blind man send back and forth, he refers to them as, “harmless chit chat.” He does not see the point in the conversations they have, or why they mean so much to his wife. Later, when the narrator is complaining to his wife about not having a blind

Many times throughout the story, the narrator is sitting on the couch, drinking, or watching television. Before the blind man comes, the narrator says, “With nothing to do but wait...I was having a drink and watching the TV…” (Carver, 143). Then, after dinner is over, he excuses himself and leaves to watch TV in the living room. The narrator is constantly getting drinks throughout the story. In fact, there are seven times that the narrator fixes drinks for himself and Robert. Along with this, the narrator admits that he does not have any interest in art, especially poetry. He explains, “...I didn’t think much of the poem...I admit it’s not the first thing I reach for when I pick something to read” (Carver, 141). In the story, the narrator never mentions any kind of hobbies or interests; we only read about him on the couch, watching TV, and drinking. The narrator is very closed off, and keeps to himself within his