Regarded as one of his most popular short stories, Raymond Carver’s The Cathedral follows the story of an unnamed narrator, his wife, and the blind guest named Robert. At the start of the story, the narrator finds himself jealous of Robert, who has been intimately corresponding with his wife for the last ten years. Over the course of Robert’s visit however, the narrator creates a connection with his guest, and in the process also learns something about himself. In this narrative, Carver uses a number of symbolisms and imagery used to represent the themes of the story.
One of the chief symbols present in the story is the cathedral. In the narrative, the narrator draws an image of a cathedral. While this may seem like a simplistic action, it is in fact representative of the characters’ ability to see beyond the façade as well as find the true meaning of things. Prior to drawing the cathedral, the narrator holds only one view of reality – that Robert is blind, and he has the ability to see. However, when he was asked to describe the image of the cathedral shown on television, the narrator realizes that he cannot express his vision in words: “I stared hard at the shot of the cathedral on the TV. How could I even begin to describe it? But say my life depended on it. Say my life was being threatened by an insane guy who said I had to do it or else” (Carver 56). More than this, he understands that the reason why he cannot find the words to describe the cathedrals is because he does not care about anything nor does he believe in anything. But when he tried to close his eyes, the narrator realizes that he can see greater as compared when his eyes are wide open. At that very moment, it was as if, he had reached epiphany and a deeper understanding that physically seeing things with eyes does not mean that he can actually see (Runyon 137).
Another dominant object used by the author is the audiotapes. In the story, Robert and the wife of the narrator has been exchanging audiotapes for almost a decade. This object is a representation of a type of understanding, compassion, and empathy that does not require sight. Instead, it only involves feelings and a sense of empathy on the part of the listener. The narrator on the contrary is the opposite of what the audiotapes symbolize. At the start of the story, the narrator believes that Beulah, Robert’s wife, must have lived a miserable life simply because her husband is blind. He finds himself thinking: “What a pitiful life this woman must have led. I imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one. A woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved” (Carver 24). This reveals the extent of his self-delusion and what he believes is what is important in a relationship. What is ironic about his own observations is the fact that he is also unable to make his wife unhappy. He assumes that because he can see, he is more capable of brining joy and happiness to his wife as compared to Robert. But the audiotapes reveal that there is a huge difference between seeing with one’s eyes and seeing with one’s heart. The audiotape symbolizes Robert’s capacity to look beyond the physical and see and feel the heart of another (Bethea 156).
In this two objects, it is evident that the author wanted to communicate the theme of seeing beyond the façade. He uses the cathedral as well as the audiotapes to underline the message that while the narrator can physically see with his eyes, he falls short on seeing beyond the surface. And hence, is unable to make his wife as well as himself fully happy and satisfied.
Works Cited
Bethea, A. Technique and sensibility in the Fiction and Poetry of Raymond Carver. NY: Routledge, 2013
Carver, R. Cathedral.NY: Vintage, 2009
Runyon, R. Reading Raymond Carver. NY: Syracuse, 1993