Critical Reading: “The Blind Man”
We live in a society where people are solely judged by their appearance. We allow the media and the internet to develop our opinions. Most of us no longer take the time to get to know each other and it's rather unfortunate. The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is very relatable and is a great example because it deals with the idea of looking versus actually seeing. One might think that those two words are interchangeable but Carver shows that seeing has a deeper meaning. In this essay, I will analyze and explore Carver's theme of looking versus seeing by examining different examples presented throughout the story.
First let's start by defining seeing and looking:
According to dictionary.com, the definition of seeing is to “perceive(things) mentally; discern;understand, the definition of looking is “to …show more content…
He displays his ignorance by stereotyping a blind man, known as Robert, who has come to visit the narrator's wife. He feels very uncomfortable around Robert and makes his discomfort evident throughout the story. He refers to him as “the blind man” rather than by his actual name because he believes he is superior. The narrator is very disconnected from others, in general, and from …show more content…
They hold each other's hands as they draw the Cathedral and Robert asks the narrator to close his eyes. He states, “But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do, (Carver,42).” The narrator seems to be very uncomfortable and closes his eyes because he feels obligated.. He doesn’t want to disappoint Robert but I don’t think he ever fully changes. I think he will continue to be the same because he doesn’t know how to look beyond the
We live in a society where people are solely judged by their appearance. We allow the media and the internet to develop our opinions. Most of us no longer take the time to get to know each other and it's rather unfortunate. The short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is very relatable and is a great example because it deals with the idea of looking versus actually seeing. One might think that those two words are interchangeable but Carver shows that seeing has a deeper meaning. In this essay, I will analyze and explore Carver's theme of looking versus seeing by examining different examples presented throughout the story.
First let's start by defining seeing and looking:
According to dictionary.com, the definition of seeing is to “perceive(things) mentally; discern;understand, the definition of looking is “to …show more content…
He displays his ignorance by stereotyping a blind man, known as Robert, who has come to visit the narrator's wife. He feels very uncomfortable around Robert and makes his discomfort evident throughout the story. He refers to him as “the blind man” rather than by his actual name because he believes he is superior. The narrator is very disconnected from others, in general, and from …show more content…
They hold each other's hands as they draw the Cathedral and Robert asks the narrator to close his eyes. He states, “But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do, (Carver,42).” The narrator seems to be very uncomfortable and closes his eyes because he feels obligated.. He doesn’t want to disappoint Robert but I don’t think he ever fully changes. I think he will continue to be the same because he doesn’t know how to look beyond the