The Theme Of Blindness In Raymond Carvers Cathedral

In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator is seen to show ignorance and bias towards blindness throughout the story, however towards the end he realizes his flaws and the difference between looking and seeing. From the beginning of the story to the end you can see a change within the narrator after his encounter with the blind man. At the end of Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator hopes to accomplish a change in his understanding of himself, and his experience with Robert flickers this change towards the end of the story. The narrator in the â€Å"Cathedral† displays a lack of insight and self-awareness that, in many ways, makes even him blinder than Robert. The narrator is shown to have trouble understanding the thoughts and†¦show more content†¦Say my life was being threatened by an insane guy who said I had to do it or else.† (Carver 43). This moment in story allows the narrator to finally try to comprehend the greater meaning of life by him closing his eyes and drawing a cathedral with Robert. This moment is a further showing of the narrator’s change, in the beginning he was bitter towards Robert due to his bias against blindness, but this moment allows him to understand Robert and show change. The ending of the â€Å"Cathedral† does not exactly show what happens after the events that unfolded. The â€Å"Cathedral† doesn’t show what the narrator has accomplished towards the ending, but does show a spark of change within him. As the narrator keeps his eyes closed even after Robert tells him to open them this further explains what the narrator is experiencing. The narrator’s meeting with Robert allowed him to listen for once and develop a sense of compassion for the blind and eliminate his bias. The narrator also loses his sense of jealousy for Robert, as he was jealous of Robert since he was so close to his wife. Since the narrator really didn’t kn ow his wife he developed insecurities within himself and any situation that deals with her that can be seen when the narrator as he just categorizes Robert as another person apart of her past. When he leaves his eyes closed this allows the narrator to truly see as he was â€Å"blind† to compassion and what the world was really made of. It allowed him toShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1426 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis in Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral†: The Narrator Literature has the potential to act as a mirror by presenting people’s lived experiences, expectations, and perceptions through characters. 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