The short story “Cathedral”, written by Raymond Carver is a rather simple story in which many in today’s society can relate to. At first we are introduced to the story’s ignorant protagonist “The Narrator” a self-centered, superficial man who is uneasy about his wife’s blind friend Robert spending the night in his house. The narrator, a man of limited awareness breaks through his limitations over the course of the story by socializing with a blind man. Carver’s first-person point of view for the narrator shows a clearer picture into the feelings, attitudes and self loneliness of the nameless narrator. The narrator is only concerned with how the visit from Robert will affect him and doesn't really care about the roll Robert may have played…show more content… The narrator is not blind and assumes that he is superior to Robert. This is shown by the narrator insulting Robert on more than one occasion, “Which side of the train did you sit on, by the way?” (194). He doesn't show any effort into seeing anything beyond the surface unlike Robert who has the ability to see on a much deeper level. Even though he can’t see the narrators wife he understands her because he truly listens to her unlike the narrator. The narrator’s wife has spent the last 10 years confiding in Robert through the audio tapes they send to each other. While the only interaction we see between the narrator and his wife are small conversations in which the narrator only annoys his wife. The narrator appears to be jealous of the relationship between his wife and Robert, longing for a similar connection between him and his wife. As they sat he thinks to himself, “They talked of things that happened to them- to them!- these past ten years. I waited in vain to hear my name on my wife’s sweet lips: “And then my dear husband came into my life” - something like that.But I heard nothing of the sort. More talk of Robert.” (196). This shows that the narrator feels closed off or isolated from his wife. There are further incidents which show detachment or isolation within the narrator . When his
people we could ever meet. Situations like these have been depicted in numerous essays, short stories, etc. However, in my opinion, the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver