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The very thought of describing such an object was intimidating to the narrator. This is clear when he says, “Say my life was being threatened by an insane guy who said I had to do it or else” (44). This fear is what led the narrator to begin describing, and to continue even when he knew his description was not making a clear picture in Robert’s mind. After a while, the narrator gives up, stating that cathedrals are not too important to him anyway. Robert had another idea in mind. He asked the narrator to get a pen and paper, and the two drew the cathedral together. At first, the narrator draws with his eyes open, trying to form the best picture for Robert. Robert then asks the narrator to close his eyes while he is drawing. The narrator describes this by saying, “it was like nothing else in my life up to now” (46). When they finish, Robert asks the narrator to describe how the pictures look when he opens his eyes again. With his eyes closed, the narrator ends the story by saying, “it’s really something”
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From the very beginning it was clear that the true blindness was in the narrator. He was so severely limited by his biased judgments and close-minded view on life that it was at times frustrating to read. Robert may have been physically blind, but he was nowhere near as blind as the narrator was. The differences between Robert and the narrator shows that judgments and prejudices formed in the mind are truly the biggest handicaps a person can have. The only thing we knew about Robert in the beginning was that he was blind. Yet when he is introduced, it is clear that only his vision is closed off. He welcomes the world and new experiences openly. On the other end of this spectrum is the narrator. His vision is open, and he has the luxury of viewing the world, yet he does the exact opposite. The narrator’s ignorance and unwillingness to learn is more of a handicap than Robert’s blindness. It prevents him from enjoying life. He goes through it emotionally detached without the pleasure of living. In the end, when the narrator has his eyes closed drawing the cathedral, he is the most open he has even been to the world. The narrator’s limited point of view in the story was crucial in showing the reader that what will hold you back the most in life are your biases and judgments. If the story was told in Robert’s point of view, it would have been a joyful story about visiting a long time friend, even with the tragedy of his wife’s death. We would have never known of the prejudices that were held inside the husband, and no true theme would have come from the story. The limited point of view was used in a way that expanded upon the theme even more, and made for a stronger story
From the very beginning it was clear that the true blindness was in the narrator. He was so severely limited by his biased judgments and close-minded view on life that it was at times frustrating to read. Robert may have been physically blind, but he was nowhere near as blind as the narrator was. The differences between Robert and the narrator shows that judgments and prejudices formed in the mind are truly the biggest handicaps a person can have. The only thing we knew about Robert in the beginning was that he was blind. Yet when he is introduced, it is clear that only his vision is closed off. He welcomes the world and new experiences openly. On the other end of this spectrum is the narrator. His vision is open, and he has the luxury of viewing the world, yet he does the exact opposite. The narrator’s ignorance and unwillingness to learn is more of a handicap than Robert’s blindness. It prevents him from enjoying life. He goes through it emotionally detached without the pleasure of living. In the end, when the narrator has his eyes closed drawing the cathedral, he is the most open he has even been to the world. The narrator’s limited point of view in the story was crucial in showing the reader that what will hold you back the most in life are your biases and judgments. If the story was told in Robert’s point of view, it would have been a joyful story about visiting a long time friend, even with the tragedy of his wife’s death. We would have never known of the prejudices that were held inside the husband, and no true theme would have come from the story. The limited point of view was used in a way that expanded upon the theme even more, and made for a stronger story