Essay about Cathedral Character Analysis - 1414 Words

Blinded In the story Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, the narrator is conflicted with issues of inner-demons that are manifested in a blind man whom he perceives as a danger to his marriage. The narrator in this story is a good example of an anti-hero showing negative characteristics while never actually being a bad guy. This gives the idea that he is very humanistic character. That being said, he is a flawed character who is just trying to please his wife while not giving up what he wants. In the end he realizes that he can have both revealing a very enlighten experience. Over the entire story the narrator is confronted with different moments that gradually alters his perspective and changes him for the better. When we first meet†¦show more content†¦He is always focused on his wife, and even though it is not his ideal of a perfect marriage he does seem to love and admire his wife as if it was. He is capable of telling us a lot of details about his wife without ever calling h er out or even trying to persuade us to dislike her. His love for her makes it possible for the narrator to get past his dislike of Robert, and allow him to stay in his house. Even after all the dislike he shares with us in the very beginning of the story. He comes into the kitchen to talk to his wife, and tries his best to be a nice guy about the topic of the blind guest which is a much different view from earlier. This persuades us to look at the narrator in his wifes perspective, even though we have knowledge that she doesnt about the narrators anxiety over Robert. Another large detail we have over the wife is that the narrator is jealous of Robert and is just using his blindness as a scapegoat. However, even though this extreme case of jealousy is unhealthy for their relationship, the narrator, in his own way, tells his wife he loves her. When his wife tells him If you love me... you can do this for me. If you dont love me, okay. he does exactly that and tries to make Robert co mfortable (Carver 107). Once Robert arrives some, of the narrators assumptions about blind people are broke down immediately like when he mentions He didnt use a cane and he didntShow 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. Such is what can be deciphered through the analysis of different characters in Raymond Carver’s story â€Å"Cathedral.† This paper focuses on the narrator of the story portrayed by the author as blind, which is used metaphorically not to imply physical blindness, but the inability to have reasonedRead MoreCharacter Analysis OfCathedral By Raymond Carvers Cathedral1121 Words   |  5 Pageshe came to visit the unnamed narrator and wife (Carver p.32-35). Once Robert walked through the door his appearance and personality surprised the narrator greatly. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator is constantly judging Robert because of his disability. The narrators’ analysis of the blind in â€Å"Cathedral† is somewhat harsh and very comparable to the critiques that are given to the blind to day. The unnamed wife met Robert in Seattle a couple summers previously when she was on the look forRead MoreAn Analysis of Cathedral822 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of Cathedral Cathedral, written by Raymond Carver, is a short story that explores the narrator’s insecurities and fears of what he does not understand and through the progression of the story is enlightened by the man he fears. The short story Cathedral is a story of the narrators’ wife’s old friend coming to visit. The friend, Robert, is a man that she knew ten years before and has kept in contact with since. The two correspond via tape recordings on a regular basis. The wife tellsRead MoreAP and Cathedral Comparison Essay1617 Words   |  7 PagesMallory Russell 06/12/15 Comparison Essay ENG 102 Online â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver versus â€Å"A + P† by John Updike In the short stories â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver and â€Å"A + P† by John Updike the protagonists experience an epiphany that change their restricted way of thinking. The main character, â€Å"Sammy† in John Updike’s, â€Å"A + P† is a teenage boy working in the town grocery store. Sammy experiences an epiphany when he decides to quit his job at the grocery store. He quit because he believedRead MorePersuasive Essay804 Words   |  4 PagesPersuasive Essay In 1983, Raymond Carver introduced his short story â€Å"Cathedral† to the public. The first-person narrative takes place within the narrator’s home, where his wife is waiting upon the arrival of her blind friend Robert. The narrator, however, becomes more concerned about how Robert’s visit will affect him rather than enjoy the situation. Once Robert arrives, the narrator tries to understand the blind man, but he is unaware of what tasks Robert is capable of performing due to the narrator’sRead MoreThe Two Sides Essay1379 Words   |  6 Pagesthe choice of seeking out more of said idea or choosing to remain as is. Cathedral by Raymond Carver is a story that gives us a look into what it is like to have our views challenged through experiencing them first hand. We are introduced to the story by narration and we are given a brief summary of how his wife and the blind man had met from the narrrator. We learn that the blind man is named Robert, he is the on ly character that is named and described in the story. After the exchange of greetingsRead MoreRaymond Carver with Cathedral and John Updike with AP979 Words   |  4 PagesRaymond Carver with â€Å"Cathedral† and John Updike with â€Å"AP† â€Å"Cathedral† and AP both short stories written during the same century. But even though they both introduce stereotypical characters that somehow change their view of the world, they have many more different aspects. The stories differ in atmosphere and the quantity of people involve in each story. The story â€Å"Cathedral† only took place in a family house with only the husband, wife who can be qualified as a static character tried to kill herselfRead MoreAnalysis Of Raymond Carver s Cathedral 1648 Words   |  7 Pages Cathedral is a capitivating story based on the lives of the narrator, his wife and a blind man. Raymond Carver is the author of this story, and he does an excellent job allowing the reader to delve into the lives of these characters. Through using the thoughts of the narrator, the reader is able to grab our attention because the story is made more realistic. The views expressed by the narrator in many senses exemplify the views of many in society and therefore the reader is able to make an emotionalRead MoreCathedral: Allegory of the Cave and Narrator1208 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿1/23/14 Comparative Literary Analysis Performance Task Allegory of the Cathedral As the philospoher Seneca once said, â€Å"It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.† Raymond Carver’s Cathedral is a story about a man who started out as a closed-minded man but, throughout the story his character changes as he begins to bond with his wife’s friend, Robert, a man who is blind. Plato’s Allegory of the cave is a story about a prisoner who is freed from being locked in chains living all ofRead MoreDo We See The Same Way That We Think?1312 Words   |  6 Pagesknow it. To begin, â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver is a true example of how literature not only shares the outer view of humans, but also what is going on in their minds. This story moves along with its powerful theme and variety of characters within it. You cannot simply look at the surface of something to truly understand the full details of it because what you see or think is on the outside, may not be what is on the inside. This is considered to be the main theme of â€Å"Cathedral†. The narrator’s wife