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Symbolism In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

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There is a significant theme of “Cathedral”: a narrator who is ignorant to blindness while being oblivious to his own limitations in sight. While the narrator can physical see with his eyes but does not realize the limitations he has placed on himself, and how those hinder him from seeing or wanting anything better in life. Being able to distinguish “the voice we hear (the narrator's) may not be the same as the eyes we see through (the perspective)” (. The story is truly about experiences or existences beyond the limitations of physical things. What Robert has that the narrator lacks is a sight into the wonder of things, the potential for acceptance in humanity, and the desire that can make one truly alive and free even if one is held back …show more content…

Before the narrator draws the cathedral, his world is uncomplicated: he can see, and Robert cannot. But when he attempts to describe the cathedral that’s shown on television, he realizes that Robert will “have to forgive [him], [for he] can’t tell [Robert] what a cathedral looks like” (Carver 41). More important, he decides that the reason he can’t find those words is that “cathedrals don’t mean anything special to [him]” (Carver 41). When he takes the time to draw the cathedral he has to really think about it and vision it in his mind. He then finds himself really envisioning the cathedral, adding details and people to make the picture come to life and even drawing some of it with his eyes closed. When the drawing is finished, the narrator keeps his eyes closed, yet what he sees is more important than anything he’s ever seen with his eyes open. There is no specific explanation about what the narrator realizes, but the narrator says he “didn’t feel like [he] was inside anything” (Carver 42), he just suggests he’s reached an epiphany. Just as a cathedral offers a place for the religious to worship and find condolence, the narrator’s drawing of a cathedral has opened a door for him into a deep-seated area in his own world, where he can see beyond what is immediately

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Robert asks about the narrator’s religion which brings them to the topic of Cathedrals. Since Robert is blind he doesn’t know exactly what a Cathedral is and only can picture a normal building and what he thinks it might be like. As they continue to talk, Robert asks for some paper and a pen. Robert takes Bub’s hand and tells him to draw a Cathedral. Robert continues to cheer Bub on and continue drawing.

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Furthermore, the narrator is starting to realize that he enjoys Robert’s company as well as compelled to explore Robert’s eye sight limits, to help Robert visualize a cathedral. The narrator tries to describe a cathedral, but failed to do so, and retreats back into cynicism. The narrator’s response Robert’s question was, “the truth is, cathedrals don’t mean anything special to me. Nothing cathedrals.

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Raymond Carver is said to be one the most influential American writers and poets in the 20th century, especially in his works of short stories. One of his most famous pieces is “Cathedral.” This well-known short story is the final piece in Carver’s collection Cathedral published in 1983. Carver includes much symbolism through the story’s plot, structure, point of view, tone, and character build. The depictions of each character’s experiences, the irony in the story, and hearing the narrator’s point of view in “Cathedral” work in harmony to support its themes that prejudice and ignorance as well as the nature of reality are present and change throughout the course of the story, and all lead to a strong character development by the close.

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Raymond Carver Cathedral Summary

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The narrator then proceeds to show Robert what a cathedral looks like by taking his hand and drawing a cathedral on “a shopping bag with onion skins in the the bottom of the bag.” (Carver 110) . Through this bricolage, the narrator closes his eyes and has an epiphany, for in this moment where his eyes are closed, hands intertwined, he truly sees, and “ ‘It’s really something,” (Carver 135). It’s the minimalistic approach that prefaces this big event that really showcases the theme. Carver’s use of colloquial language, in creation of an increasingly relatable scene allows for the reader to empathize with the narrator, allowing for a much stronger impact when the epiphany occurs and the story’s theme has been

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