Cathedral presents the story of a blind man’s visit through the eyes of a wary narrator, one who makes it quite clear that the presence of a stranger–and a blind one at that–is not something he welcomes into his home with open arms. The tension is palpable even before Robert steps through the doorway, and it stems not only from the narrator’s preconceived notions of how the blind should be, but also his own insecurities and lack of confidence.
The narrator makes it a point to never refer to his wife’s last husband by name, calling him instead “the childhood sweetheart” and acting as if even the mention of his real name would be a threat to his marriage. It’s very obvious that he views Robert in a similar light, as he makes it a point to bring up several instances where the blind man and his wife’s relationship could have possibly bordered romantic, and comments negatively on many aspects of the other man’s appearance and actions.
Raymond Carver makes a good point of following his own advice, as even just the opening section of Cathedral is enough to illustrate the underlying sensations of restlessness present in the narrator’s mind. The transition from these hostile feelings that the narrator experiences to a more willing acceptance comes gradually, as he struggles to find common ground with a stranger whom he initially believes is too different to get along with. Unlike the theme of our English class, what the narrator experiences isn’t happiness. But it’s definitely a start in the right direction.
