The narrator’s original point of view is that Robert is from his wives past so he must be a threat to him, so jealousy is appealed, “This blind man, an old friend of my wives … I wasn’t enthusiastic about the visit”(88). He also assumes that blindness was such a major weakness that Robert was completely inferior to himself. “My idea of blindness came form the movies … A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to”(88). This is the narrator’s ignorance at play. He also thinks blind people cant smoke cigarettes.
In the beginning, the narrator does not want this blind guest visiting him and his wife. He does not know what this visit will bring about. His wife was married once before and was divorced. “she told him about her divorce. She and I began going out, and of course she told her blind man about it.
The dialog was about how the narrator did not have in blind friends and with sarcasm he says, “Maybe I could take him bowling,” (Carver) the author shows the narrator lack of understanding of his wife friendship with the blind man. Maybe because of his limited experience with a blind person and understand where he is coming from. This lack of understand by the narrator gives the reader a little insight on the relationship be him and his wife. Where the husband feels like an outsider when Robert is joined them for the night. Due to the fact, he did take the time to understand his wife and her
In the story, the narrator says “and his being blind bothered me.” The narrator is a reflection of prejudice and the stereotypes in society. He expresses that his “idea of blindness came from the movies” and that in the movies “the blind man moved slowly and never laughed.”It is clearly easy to see that the narrator is judging a book by its cover. As the story progresses, Robert shows the narrator how to see things clearly and from a different perspective. For example in the story
We see this when he talks about how Robert has a previous relationship with his wife, even though it’s not a romantic one, I believe that the husband feels threatened by this relationship. “…She hadn’t seen the blind man since she worked for him on summer in Seattle ten years ago. But she and the blind man had kept in touch. They made tapes and mailed them back and forth. I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit.
We are introduced from the beginning of Raymond Carver’s Cathedral to a man that seems to be perturbed and agitated. The husband “ wasn’t enthusiastic about [Robert] visit, he was no one [he] knew. And his being blind bothered [him].” (20) He is uninterested in the relationship that Robert has with his wife. (21) The only reason he knows any thing about Robert is because she told him, he didn’t ask and didn’t care to know. We see how selfish and self centered the narrator is as he has thoughts of, “this blind man” “coming to sleep in [his] house” and telling his wife “maybe [he] could take him bowling” (22).
As it says in the story, the narrator is not enthusiastic about the blind man coming and it really bothered him that he was blind: “[Robert] didn’t use a cane and he didn’t wear dark glasses: “I’d always thought dark glasses were a must for the blind. Fact was, I’d wish he had a pair” (Carver 24). When Robert comes in the house, the reader can tell the narrator was not excited about his arrival and his wife instantly disapproves of his attitude toward the man. They are introduced to each other and Robert refers to the narrator as “Bub” like a nickname. The narrator says, “Then I wanted to say something else, small-talk, about the scenic ride along the Hudson.
Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” is about an insecure husband that is threatened by his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert. Robert’s blindness is a symbol of the couple’s marital disconnect. They did not communicate effectively, which is essential for any healthy marriage. The narrator’s wife worked for the blind man ten years prior in Seattle. They have remained close friends throughout the years.
Ashley Dargin English 1302 Mr. LaFosse October 14, 2010 The Change in Life in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” This story is about a man who perception of what he thinks about meeting a blind man. He really does not care for the blind man in story because the relationship Robert “blind man” has with his wife. Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral" has a meaning to its title. His outlook on being around Robert changes through its course. The husband who does not have a name in the story, but Robert calls him “Bub” at the end.
Both honest mistakes that he didn’t even know he made. The ignorance shown towards Lennie in the novel was due to the time period and the people’s lack of knowledge. People in the story like “The boss” just thought that Lennie wasn’t smart because he just didn’t talk much unless it was to his best friend George. There was ignorance in Raymond because his brother thought that he could remove Ray from his schedules at his home and take him with him. The Ignorance was that Ray needed those schedules or he will have a fit.