Cathedral Literary Analysis

Paul Yao
Mrs. Clapp
AP Literature
October 19, 2008

Prejudice and Ignorance Theme

In Raymond Carver’s short story Cathedral, Carver uses the main character’s skeptical tone and first person point of view in order to convey that ignorance and prejudice is caused by false assumptions based off stereotypes and lack of knowledge and can be overcome with treating the other with equality. Carver uses a first person point of view allows the audience to go through what the narrator is going through, every thought process and reasoning. This allows the audience to see how it is possible for a person to come to such prejudice conclusions. Carver also allows a gateway into the narrator’s mind as his conversation with the blind man alone does not reveal his bias towards the blind man. The narrator’s obviously judgmental and skeptic tone emphasizes his assumptions about the blind man as well as setting an awkward mood once the blind man and the narrator finally meet.
With the use of the first person point of view, Carver is able to convey the main character’s bigotry towards the blind man as well as his eventual change in character in which he accepts the man. The main character’s narrow-mindedness is already apparent in the first few sentences where he refers to the blind man, who is established as an old friend of the wife of the narrator, commonly as just “the blind man” instead of showing courtesy and respect due to the fact he’s a friend of his wife’s. The narrator’s syntax is simple and direct, bringing to light that he doesn’t exactly care for the situation and is instead complaining about it. While meeting the blind person for the first time the narrator comments in his mind that “He [the blind man] was no one I knew… A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” giving the reason in which he states that his picture of the blind “came from movies … the blind moved slowly and never laughed.” (223) However in contrast to what the main character thinks, what he says to the blind man is less direct and more subtle. The contrast between the narrator’s thoughts and what he says reveals his acknowledgement of his bigotry and also his fear and obvious lack of understanding the blind man. The use of the first person point of view opens a gateway into the narrator’s mind in which his prejudice and ignorance of people different from him is revealed and emphasized. The audience is then allowed to see the reasoning behind the narrator’s outrageous statement such as his amazement that the blind man could have such a long beard or that the blind didn‘t smoke because they could see the smoke when they exhaled .
Carver develops a skeptical and prejudice tone in the beginning of the story and a shift in tone after the feast between the main character and the blind man in order to expose that prejudice is based off stereotypes and lack of knowledge and it can be changed with empathy and awareness. When telling anecdotes, the narrator seems to have very little care and thoughts about them, instead he just giving every last detail as shown with little to no opinion which is mirrored by his short and direct syntax. When he does have an opinion it is usually mocking and is conveyed through the use of italics or parentheses such as when he asked whether the blind man knew which side he was sitting on thinking, “Going to New York, you should sit on the right-hand side of the train, and coming from New York, the left-hand side.” (226) The shift in tone from skeptical to more of an accepting an open one is apparent after the narrator, his wife, and the blind man have dinner as the narrator states, “ I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork …. It didn’t seem to bother him to use his fingers once in a while, either.” (228) The uptight and ignorant atmosphere has lightened just a smudge and the narrator’s sarcasm has shifted from mocking to more playful and humorous. It not until when the blind man asks the narrator to describe a cathedral does the tone completely shift from skeptical to accepting. Due the narrator’s failure to describe a cathedral he is lowered from his believed elevated status as it reveals to him that he is no better than the blind man despite his vision. However instead of mocking, which the narrator would’ve have done, the blind man simply proposes to work together leading them to have a moment and a deep connection which is reinforced by the amazement of his wife as she would never suspect such an event. The narrator’s complete change from prejudice and ignorance is symbolize by his last statement about cathedrals, “It’s really something” (234) which contrasted his previous statement in which he stated, “Truth is, cathedrals don’t mean anything special to me. Nothing… That’s all they are.” (232) Carver’s use of language changes as the main character seems to reveal his thought more through words than in his thoughts signifying his new awareness and open-mindedness.
By using first person point of view Carver is able to reveal the narrator’s prejudice and ignorance and show how they are formed through false assumptions and stereotypes. It also lays down a skeptical tone which shifts as the story progresses signified by the stream of conscience point of view. Through this, Carver is able to demonstrate that bigotry and ignorance can be overcome with awareness and empathy using the main character and the example.