Raymond in The Cathedral Essay

Cathedral

In Raymond Carters Cathedral, positive influence is demonstrated between the main character and all of the characters in the short story.

Carters central character, Robert (the blind man), is the influential thread that pulls the entire short story together. Robert influences the narrators wife, his own wife Beulah, and particularly, the narrator himself. They all have life changing experiences after their association with the blind man.

Robert positively influences the narrators wife for many, many years. A decade prior, She see(s) something in the paper: HELP WANTED Reading to Blind Man, and applies for the job. (116) Even though the position lasts only a short summer, her life changes, noticeably, from here on out. According to the narrator, the blind man, aka, Robert, asks to touch the wifes face on her last day of work. (114) He softly touches every square inch of her face to be able to see it mentally, and it may have felt somewhat erotic to her. Symbolically, he is her first lover, and this influences her to write several poems. They keep in contact for many years after, by sending cassette tapes to one another. The narrator states, She was always trying to write a poem. (114) Since her involvement with the blind man so long ago, the narrator lets us know that She wrote a poem or two every year, usually after something really important had happened to her. (114)

Roberts past influence over his now dead wife, Beulah, is somewhat puzzling. The narrator informs us that, Beulah had gone to work for the blind man the summer after (his) wife had stopped working for him, and soon after, they had had a church wedding. (116) Beulah has chosen to permanently attach herself to a man who is unable to see her face, or read any of her facial expressions. Robert will never see any of the emotions she might be feeling at any given time. Beulah obviously loves Robert even without all of the interactions they would have been able to experience together if he had been able to see. It is certainly possible that she may have been a beautiful woman with flawless features, but still chooses to be with Robert. According to the narrator, Robert is not a particularly attractive man. He is in his late forties, has a graying beard, is bald, overweight, and dresses in drab colors. He must have a quality that Beulah intuitively senses in order to marry him. His influence creates a life-changing, inseparable bond which lasts until her death eight years later. The narrator states, It was beyond my understanding. (116)

Robert influences the narrator, without many words, to regain the faith he has lost in God. It is very apparent that he doubts his faith because he makes a silly joke out of the dinner prayer. He says, Now let us pray, and then follows up with Pray the phone wont ring and the food doesnt get cold. (119) How Robert influences him is somewhat unusual. First, he subtly eases his way into the narrators confidence by smoking some marijuana with him, an activity in which he has never taken part of. (120) Second, he asks the narrator to describe the cathedral being discussed on the television program airing during their conversation. The narrator conveys to us that (He) stared hard at the shot of the cathedral on the TV, and could not vocally describe it to Robert. (123-124) Robert asks the narrator if he ever has been a religious person, and he responds by saying, I guess I dont believe in it. (124) The last thing Robert asks the narrator to do is draw a cathedral with the assistance of his hand (Roberts) guiding his own (the narrators). In the beginning, the narrator draws with his eyes open. After a while, Robert says, Close your eyes now. (125) When the drawing is finished, Robert is completely dumfounded. All he can think of to say is that the drawing is, Really something. (126) It is obvious that the narrator is able to draw the cathedral with his eyes closed because he has complete faith in Roberts ability to guide him. Without many words, Robert has communicated to the narrator that you do not have to be able to see something to have faith in it. His faith in God is restored, and his life has changed forever.

Carters Cathedral, delivers several instances of positive influence delivered by the central character, Robert (the blind man). The narrators wife is influenced to write poems, Beulah is influenced to have faith in a man who cannot see, and the narrator is influenced to have faith in a God who he cannot see. Roberts positive influences on the other characters were life-changing and needed.