A persons ability to see is often taken for granted as it is in Cathedral by Raymond Carver. Although the title suggests that the story is about a cathedral, it is really about two men who are blind, one physically, the other psychologically. One of the two men is Robert, the blind friend of the narrators wife; the other is the narrator-husband himself, Bub. The husband is the man who is psychologically blind and goes through a major personal transformation. At the beginning of the story, his opinions of others are filled with stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice. Through interaction with his wife's blind friend Robert, his attitude and outlook on life changes. Although at first he afraid to associate with a blind man, Robert's outgoing personality left him with virtually no choice. During Robert's visit, he proved to be a normal man, and showed the speaker that by closing his eyes, he could open his mind.
The speaker's prejudice is nearly overwhelming at the opening of the story. The speaker states, His being blind bothered meA blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to (217). He never really come in personal contact with anyone before who was blind, and has no idea of what to expect. He admittedly gathered a stereotypical mind set about blind people from movies, assuming they moved slowly and never laughed (217). This revels that the narrator is very narrow-minded.
The protagonists prejudice is also evident when he asks about Robert's deceased wife. Upon hearing her name Beulah, he asks, Was his wife a Negro? (219). Immediately, Bubs wife is offended at the question. The speaker informs the readers that his wife told him the story of Robert and Beulah. He does not, however, reveal whether Beulah was in fact black or otherwise. It seems to foreshadow the speaker's acceptance of the blind man. Due to the fact that Robert was a victim of prejudice he knew how it felt to be judged because of societies stereotype. This revels why the color of Beulah's skin was not important to Robert, and therefore was not mentioned by the character. All of the narrators prejudice encouraged him to view Robert as not normal. Thought movies and books Bub has the interpretation that blind people dont behave the same as normal people who can see, because they are blind. Until he met Robert, the speaker merely referres to Robert as the blind man (218), instead of someone with a name or someone with importance. He did not understand why his wife has kept in touch with Robert, or how they became so close. He also views Robert as a nuisance to society, someone who could not take care of himself. The narrator spoke of the pity he felt for Beulah because Robert could never see what she looked like, read the expression on her face or receive the smallest compliment from her husband.
When Robert arrived in Bubs house, the reader is introduced to what appears to be a quick witted and pleasant man, especially considering the recent death of his wife. This revels that even though Roberts life isnt filled with happiness he is positive about life and is outgoing. His cheerfulness is established by his referring to the narrator as Bub (221) within the first minutes of his arrival. This gesture shows how comfortable Robert is in the setting and also establishes the strong differences between the personalities of he and Bub. Upon seeing Robert with Bubs wife, Bubs eyes are drawn to the smile Robert has placed on her face. The narrator witnessed the depth of conversation Robert had with his wife, as if Bub wasn't even in the room, and it seemed to spark some jealousy. This also creates the main conflict Bub faces in the story in trying to look past his stereotypes and jealousies toward Robert and accepting his company.
Most of the changes that the narrator underwent in his understanding of Robert were because he realizes that Robert is a real person. At dinner the narrator watches as Robert eats, knowing where everything is on his plate, and being completely self-sufficient. After a large dinner they make small talk, smoke, and watch television in the living room. By this point the narrator has become somewhat more relaxed to the thought of the blind man in his home, because they have shared a meal and Robert has also shown that he can drink, and smoke just like Bub and his wife. An unexpected, but important part of the story is when the character and Robert smoked dope (223) together. The speaker says, I could tell he didn't know the first thing (223). Bub showes Robert how to smoke. Although Robert has never smoked before, he gave it a chance. This serves as a reason for the narrator to give Robert a chance, because not only can Robert drink Scotch like Bub, but he is showing bravery by smoking dope. This also causes Bubs view of Robert to go from dismissing him as less than human to appreciating him as a capable person.
Through the television show about middle age cathedrals, Robert brings the narrator into Roberts world by showing Bub how to see and discover without using his eyes. It is relevant because it gives the blind man the opportunity to share with the narrator Roberts state of mind. After watching the show for a few minutes Bub suddenly realizes that Robert was uneducated about cathedrals because he had never seen one. Bub tries explaining what the Cathedrals look like, but realizes that he is not doing a very good job. He states, Im not doing so good am I (226). This doesnt work so Robert then asks the narrator if the would draw the cathedral with him. At this point there is a strong change in interaction between the two characters. The blind man diligently places his hand on that of the narrator and they draw, together. The two are intently drawing the cathedral when Robert asks Bub to keep drawing but with his eyes closed. He obeys and continues, this is the climax of the story for the narrator now briefly gets a glimpse of what it is like to live with the ailment of blindness. He is temporarily awed at the feeling for it is one he has obviously never experienced. It really something, he says (228). Soon enough, the narrator understood the connection his wife had with Robert, the connection was friendships. By the end of the story, the narrator had became one himself with Robert.
When the story starts, the narrator seems to have almost lived in a shell for the majority of his life. He does not know much about people who are different from himself. If he was exposed to more things during his life, he would not be so naive about common things like blindness and interracial relationships. However, because of the way Bub acts when he hears about Robert and Belah, it is obvious that he has led a sheltered life. Even after Bubs entire life of not understanding what was going on in the world around him, one night with Robert enlightened him and changed his view on people and his surrounding environment.
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