The Image Of Blind People In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

Throughout the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator shows changes in his opinions and behaviors toward blind people, whom he never has a chance to know closely. The image of Robert, the blind man, is built so special that it separates him among others to constitute the idea: the light can only be seen only by the whole heart. The author sets Robert apart from other blind people in his character as well as his appearance. The first image about blind people that the narrator has is through movies, which are secondary sources. The image of all blind people “moved slowly and never laughed” (260) stuck in the narrator’s mind like a stereotype, which hindered him from exploring more about the blind. Since he is so narrow-minded,

Even he tries hard to suppress this disrepect to the outsiders, his wife as well as the readers can still feel it. However, when Robert appears, all stereotypes that the narrator has just vanishes. Peculiarly dressing for the blind people, in the narrator’s opinion, with “this full beard… and didn’t wear dark glasses,” (264) Robert confidently expresses himself to the public despite the difference with the rest. In his opinion, his disability does not affect the way he perceived the world; therefore, he wants to be part of society, just like any other man. However, something that really separates him from other blind people, if not men, is his willingness to try everything. The narrator’s wife is shocked when she finds out

Everything starts with the idea of drawing the cathedral, which Robert could not imagine. Every steps of the drawing is very carefully examined by Robert as he closely watched the procedure of the narrator. The twist of the story is when Robert asks the narrator to “close your eyes now,” (271). And now the narrator officially steps into Robert’s world. He continues to draw with his eyes closed, but behind it, he can feel the picture, something he never experienced before in his life. When the author suddenly ends the story “It’s really something” (271), he points out the enlightenment of the narrator not only about blind people, but also about the world. The specialty of the experience may stay with the narrator forever, leaving him the lesson about judging other people. The narrator at the end now can understand the real meaning of Rober’s marriage with Beulah. When the narrator describes the relationship of Robert and Beulah “[she] never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved,” (263) he feels pitiful for the unfortune Negro woman in the relationship she could not have happiness. However, he may realize the specialty of their relationship now when the beauty of a person does not need to be shown by the vision of the other. The author also emphasizes the image of cathedral in the passage to carry a great idea about