First Person Point Of View In Cathedral By Raymond Carver

Each writer has its own unique style. In “Cathedral”, Raymond Carver utilizes the first person point of view so the reader can view the change in the narrator’s perception of the blind man, through different situations that happens throughout the story. The purpose of the first person is to demonstrate the progress and changeover of the narrator which makes it at ease for the readers to understand and feel the thoughts as well as the sentiments that are being experienced by the narrator. The effectiveness of first person narrator give us an enhanced insight into their rational and engagements. In the story, the husband is the narrator telling us in first person point of view. Starting at the first few lines of the story, the narrator …show more content…
A show on cathedral is showing, the blind man just listens as he puts “his fingers into his beard and tugged (10)”. According to the narrator the blind man appears as he was thinking deeply to some degree, then all of a sudden asks the narrator to describe what a cathedral looks like. The narrator tries to describe a cathedral in words to the blind man; however, he does not have any idea how to describe it. “I stared hard at the shot of the cathedral on the TV. How could I even begin to describe it? But say my life depended on it. Say my life was being threatened by an insane guy who said I had to do it or else (11).” The mission looks impossible for the narrator and goes into a crisis mode because he realizes that he could not explain a cathedral even if his life depended on it. As he describes the scenario he imagines about a crazy man forcing him to describe a cathedral which shows the reader how he is silly and comical, but reflects his sense of panic. When the narrator is not successful of describing a cathedral, the blind man asks the narrator to help draw. They begin by having the blind man hold the narrator 's hand as he draws a cathedral on a paper bag. The blind man advices the narrator to close his eyes and draw. So the narrator acts in accordance and closes his eyes and draws, saying, "So we kept on with it. His fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was like nothing in my life up to now (13)". Through first person point of view it is efficient in this scenario as the narrator describes how he is experiencing. He is now experiencing seeing without his eyes and he feels freedom. In the moment, both the complexity and the simplicity of his experience make it important for the reader to feel the narrator’s perspective. The act of drawing a cathedral with the blind man with his eyes closed lets the narrator look inside himself and