The Perception Of The Blind Man In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

Short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver is about how the blind man, Robert, inspires the narrator, the husband of Robert’s friend, to really see the world despite being blind. "Cathedral" is narrated by a man whose wife has an old friend who is coming to visit from Seattle. The friend is blind and his wife has just passed away. The narrator identifies Robert's blindness as his defining characteristic. Though Robert is blind, he can perceive the world in ways the narrator cannot understand and despite him being physically able to see the world, he remains blind. Robert senses this and the fact that despite being married, the narrator and wife remain detached from each other. Robert is an insightful and compassionate man and he opens the narrator’s mind to new possibilities in attempt to make him a better husband for his friend and to be able to connect with her like he has. …show more content…
In many ways, that causes him to be even blinder than Robert. It’s hard for him to understand thoughts and feelings of his wife that lie beneath the surface. He displays pity for Robert’s deceased wife because Robert never laid eyes on her but fails to understand that Robert could understand her intimately. Therefore, no effort is made by the narrator to really get to know his own wife. He doesn’t welcome her old friend because he feels a little jealous and petty. Even though Robert’s visit is important to his wife, the narrator doesn’t seem to care much. Little does he know that if it weren’t for Robert, his wife may very well not be alive. Just because he can recognize her on sight doesn’t mean that he knows her intimately like Robert knew his