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The Symbolism Of The Storyteller In The Short Story Cathedral

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The storyteller in the short story "Cathedral" is an exceptionally skeptical, judgmental, astringent man who can't discover joy or fulfillment in anybody or anything around him. He is not upbeat about the visually impaired man, Robert, coming to visit, and communicates a great deal of scornful dismay at his significant other's association with him. He is likewise anxious about the visit; he says, "He was nobody I knew. What's more, his being visually impaired irritated me." He doesn't know how he will engage the man, or what they will discuss. In Cathedral I’ve examined the character’s identities and the different occasions inside the story. Bedsides the fact that this story deals with very genuine individuals form Carvers past as its characters, it’s very captivating to gather the reason which means of every occurrence in the story. Specifically, I kind of thought that it was very shocking when the storyteller asked the blind man if he would like to smoke some dope. When the visually impaired man and the storyteller's better half arrive, beverages are served. The characters all depend …show more content…

The storyteller solicits the visually impaired man what kind from beverage he might want as a gage of his identity. He picks bourbon and the storyteller says "I knew it" as though he had possessed the capacity to peruse the visually impaired man's brain, when in certainty the storyteller has a distorted view of the visually impaired man's real identity. The characters keep visiting and new adjusts of beverages are served as required. The air is agreeable between the storyteller's better half and the visually impaired man, however the discussion still appears to be unnatural and the storyteller learns about left. The storyteller's significant other is making a decent attempt to help the visually impaired man as a result of his debilitation and her friendliness is

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The narrator placed himself in Robert’s shoes and realized how inaccurate his perception about Robert was. By sketching a Cathedral, they were drawing a piece of art that represents a collaboration closer to sight. By sharing an intimate experience, Robert the physically blind man was able to help the unnamed narrator, metaphorically blinded prejudice man see his errors in his conscious and see things

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That the disabled man is just as much of a human. This allows the main character to begin his steps forward to casting away his prejudices. This imagery is further exemplified when they share a moment in a cathedral which is a place of

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In the story of "Cathedral" the narrator is not happy that the blind man is visiting his home and has listened to rumors and unofficial sources to form a conclusion about the blind man before he even meets him. He feels both sorry for the blind man because of the fact that he is blind and feels like the blind man is limited to learning and truly experiencing life as a whole. He learns afterwards that him and the man get along quite well and even become friends because he was not like what he expected a blind person to be at all. This theory of having heard one story and believing it is true has plagued many of our minds and I think we should be more open minded when we form opinions on something or someone . Throughout this paper I would like

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In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” written in 1983, the author points out that empathy and perspective are the only way to truly experience profound emotion. The narrator is struggling is sucked into his own comfort zone, he drowns his dissatisfaction on life, marriage, and job in alcohol. A man of limited awareness breaks through his limitations by socializing with a blind man. Despite Roberts physical limitations, he is the one who saved narrator from himself and helped him to find the ones vies of the world.

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The author use of the title “Cathedral” was misleading at first. “Cathedral” is about a husband who had an interesting experience with his wife’s blind friend. The narrator, also known as the husband, had difficulty understanding other people thoughts and personal feelings. The narrator knew how important the blind man is to his wife, yet he still makes careless jokes about him. “Maybe I could take him bowling” was a comment made by the narrator after finding out that the blind man was staying over his house.

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“His being blind bothered me” (Carver 1). In Raymond Carver’s short story Cathedral, Carver establishes an ignorant narrator, who is dependent on alcohol and fixated upon physical appearance; he juxtaposes the narrator to a blind man who sees with his heart rather than his eyes. Through indirect characterization, Carver contrasts the narcissistic narrator to the intuitive blind man while utilizing sight as a symbol of emotional understanding. He establishes the difference between looking and seeing to prove that sight is more than physical.

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After a small introduction when the two characters first meet, the narrator recognizes that he “didn’t know what else to say” (Carver, 4), signifying his inability in connecting with Robert. A reason behind the trouble in connecting is discussed in “Literary Analysis of Cathedral” by Niwar A. Obaid, where he writes “The narrator’s apparently judgmental and doubtful tone… [set] a difficult attitude once the blind man and the narrator actually meet”. Obaid lists the narrator’s tone as one of the primary reasons why the narrator is reluctant to get to know Robert better. Since the narrator’s tone is caused by his prejudices, as previously shown, one can infer from Obaid’s writing that the real reason behind the narrator’s reluctance to form a relationship is his prejudice against the blind. Later in the story, Carver juxtaposes Robert’s readiness to learn more about the narrator to the narrator’s initial refusal to develop a relationship to Robert.

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Throughout the story the reader can affirm that the wife has a deep, strong relationship with the blind man. The wife and the blind man share an intimate and vulnerable moments together; one includes when she lets him touch her face so he can remember her. Similarly, the narrator gets to share an intimate moment with Robert that leads to an epiphany. The epiphany that the narrator experiences when drawing a cathedral refers to seeing life from Robert, the blind man’s, point of view and seeing the struggles as well as life experiences a blind man must encounter on a daily basis.

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In “Cathedral” a lack of communication between the narrator and his wife

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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.

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Narrated in the first person, Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is bound to unfold due to the thoughts and feelings of one of the main characters, the husband. Expectedly, the conflict revolves around him and the way he responds to the conflict leads

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With this, readers could sense that the narrator is jealous, grouchy, and angry that Robert’s presence affects the narrator’s wife because of the connection between both the wife and Robert. The author prepares readers for the enlightenment when Robert came for a visit and that is how cathedral came about. The narrator explains, “The TV showed this one cathedral” (110). In this scene, the narrator and Robert bonded about the appearance of the cathedral. Instantly, the narrator says to Robert, “Do you have any idea what a cathedral is?

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Critical analysis of Cathedral The narrator of “Cathedral” is a bitter man that is judgmental. He judges the blind man before even meeting him. He stereotypes the blind man from movies he watched, he thinks that they move slow and never have reactions. Also, he is a jealous of the blind man because him and his wife bond.

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It was a new feeling that none of his past experiences had given him before. Not drinking, not smoking drugs and not even his marriage. He was feeling he is inside of the cathedral and was feeling amazed by the great and the powers that the cathedral has. Cathedrals are the masterpieces buildings. Their huge height and beautiful artistic interiors and exteriors always inspired the visitors.

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In his contemporary short story, “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver tells the story of an unnamed narrator, his wife, and an old friend, a blind man named Robert. Robert has come to visit the narrator’s wife, who is quite excited to see this man whom she hasn’t seen in ten years, yet the same can’t be said of the narrator who is noticeably and vocally uncomfortable about his visit. The story is told through the narrator’s first person point of view, showcasing his thoughts and the events that take place when Robert comes to visit. Carver highlights the theme of having the ability to see, but not truly seeing, through his use of colloquial language, and creation of relatable characters. “Cathedral” begins with the narrator informing the audience

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