The Role Of The Narrator In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

In Cathedral Raymond Carver narrates his short story through the first- person point of view, providing clear insight into the narrator’s experience with the Robert, the blind man. The narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the story, reveals his thoughts through his tone. Carver’s utilization of first-person point of view allows the reader to better comprehend the narrator’s mood, in addition to his inner traits. This permits the reader to understand the narrator’s personality, knowing the narrator at a deeper level. Through the first-person point of view of the narrator in Cathedral, Raymond Carver illustrates a short story that examines the narrator’s fear of the Robert who is visually impaired, in addition to his hostility towards him, which later turns into sympathy all resulting from his isolation to the norm.

It is made clear that the narrator has never had interactions with a blind person when he states that "[he] wasn't enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew.” Because the narrator seems to live a sheltered and isolated life, he fears anything that is different from what he is used to, like the inability to see. His fear is unintentionally made apparent through the comments he makes in regards to Robert’s blindness. Because this is told through first person, the reader is drawn into how the narrator is feeling and is directly affected by his fear. If the narrator was not isolated, he would know that despite being blind, an individual could still live a normal live. If this story was not through the first-person point of view and a third-person narrator had told us the character is fearful, the perception of his isolation would be different. With the use of first-person, the narrator’s fears about interacting with a visually impaired person such as Robert are