In Raymond Carver's short story, “Cathedral,” the closed-minded speaker is forced to spend a civil evening with a blind man. At first, the narrator despises the blind community. However, after interacting and connecting with the blind man in the story, the speaker is left with a transformed opinion. He discovers the immense and unique wealth of wisdom of the blind man. Although blindness is an obvious theme in the story, the author may have interpreted it due to more than just the blind man's physical condition. Just as he lacks vision, the speaker and his wife are blinded socially and emotionally. These dynamic personalities allow the characters to build a strong bond and a sense of growth throughout the story. “Cathedral” illustrates the nature of blindness, both physical and metaphorical, and demonstrates its effects on the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In order to apply blindness as a metaphor, Carver must first introduce his character who is physically blind. This man, Robert, serves as the foundation for the central theme of the entire story. This wise and gentle character is really interesting. His charm and intelligence almost make up for the lack of his vision. This scenario is not uncommon in the literature. A challenged character, like Robert, is often portrayed as extremely admirable and sympathetic. This allows the reader to conclude that a human's exterior does not necessarily reflect their inner self (Ozer). The author uses Robert's blindness and resulting mannerisms to shape and contrast several aspects of the story in relation to the other characters. For this reason, a thorough understanding of one's personality and lifestyle is crucial. Fortunately, Carver provides a copious amount of descriptive detail regarding the blind man. Immediately the reader is informed of Robert's profession in social work. The speaker's wife met Robert by helping him with this work, reading him case studies and reports. In this way, the story wastes no time in illustrating Robert's determination and refusal to allow blindness to affect his productivity. From the moment he arrives at the speaker's home, Robert is polite and conversational. Unlike his host, he seems very relaxed and at ease. During various discussions, he is almost always prepared for an intelligent response and he rarely hesitates. Robert, perhaps to the reader's surprise, is a confident and self-assured man. Despite his physical limitation, he operates with undeniable stability. Robert's nature is not only defined by what he does, but also by what he does not do. As the speaker points out, the blind man does not wear dark glasses or use a cane to help him. On the other hand, it does not at all resemble the representation of blind people seen in entertainment. When offered to help him with his luggage, Robert refuses several times. Instead, he informs his hosts that he can handle these types of tasks himself. Furthermore, he does not benefit from the excessive catering offered by the speaker's wife. Robert is content and capable, despite some expectations from the speaker and even his wife. Although vision is important, blind people generally adapt to their days of blindness and lead satisfying lives (Bennett). As technology advances, blindness becomes more of an inconvenience than a disability. Such a condition can be overcome with time and practice, much like poor handwriting or fear of public speaking (Kurzweil). The blind are quite capable of achieving assimilation andnormality. Yet people like Robert regularly encounter low expectations and many prejudices. Few illustrate this discriminatory behavior more effectively than the speaker in “Cathedral.” This indicates the first appearance of metaphorical blindness in history. The narrator does not seethe essence of a blind man, like Robert. His own dark perception of the blind man initially prevents him from understanding the rich personality and potential of his guest. He expresses this feeling straight away: “I was not enthusiastic about his visit. It wasn't anyone I knew. And his blindness bothered me” (Carver 81). His wife diligently tries to persuade her husband by telling him about Robert and his charming attitude. But this effort remains in vain and the speaker continues to fear this experience. It is evident that, in the first part of the story, the only consideration in the speaker's mind is his deep disgust for the visually impaired. As soon as his or her disability is revealed, he or she can easily become the victim of numerous assumptions. Among these hasty conclusions, one of the most common is the feeling that the non-disabled people present are the best informed. This deprives the disabled of power and credit (Ray). This is the case in the story, at Robert's expense. It is very likely that he is well aware of the narrator's feelings. However, his wisdom does not influence his host's opinion. Regardless of his knowledge, he is neither respected nor taken seriously by the speaker. As previously mentioned, this is most likely a product of widespread misconceptions regarding physically disabled people. The speaker's ignorance therefore acts as blindness in itself. One can question this notion, arguing that such blindness is entirely voluntary. However, while ignorance is an aspect of character, it is not necessarily so easily eliminated. Generally, a rational human being does not voluntarily choose to be blind. The story certainly represents its interlocutor as an average, healthy man. The problem is not in his mind, but rather in the information he is surrounded by. Misinformation is one of the most notorious causes of prejudice and rejection. In addition, some information is highlighted more than others. Some information is completely omitted. These ingredients often produce prejudice (Lewis). The speaker supports this theory by openly admitting that his idea of ​​the blind is a dramatic and glamorous media product. Finally, competitiveness and misplaced aggression can also lead to prejudice (Aronson). These are personality traits clearly displayed by the speaker throughout the story, as we will show later. All these factors influence him and cause his ignorant behavior. Like the man he rejects, the narrator is blind. Unlike her husband, the speaker's wife loves the blind man very much. She and Robert are old friends and both have stayed in touch during their separation. Naturally, she is extremely respectful and accommodating towards him. However, despite her benevolence, she shows more than one blindness. These flaws may be difficult for the audience to recognize at first, due to the wife's lovable character. She herself may be just as oblivious to the deeper issues lurking beneath her facade. This possibility, however, only reinforces the presence of his personal blindness. Of the two main types of metaphorical blindness exhibited by the speaker's wife, the first directly concerns her own well-being. Although subtle, Carver inserts details about the woman's dark and painful past. This revelation is largely overshadowed by the plotcentral between Robert and the speaker. Either way, it plays a key role in the development of a woman's character. Carver informs us that after constantly moving with her former husband, his wife suffered from extreme loneliness and depression. She eventually reached her limits and attempted to end her life by ingesting massive amounts of pills and gin. This stunt didn't kill her, it just made her sick. She divorced her husband and later reunited with the speaker. Although she remarried and settled into a comfortable life, the story of her suicide attempt should not be taken lightly. A traumatic experience of such caliber can never be forgotten, and it likely had permanent effects on the speaker's wife. This information indicates that a person is unable to manage tension in a healthy way. With such a degree of struggle and instability, it is difficult to infer that the wife ever made a full recovery. It is very likely that, in the present, she remains blind to her own needs. The second reason the woman is blind lies, perhaps unexpectedly, in her interaction with Robert. Indeed, she is infinitely kind towards the blind man. She never stops thinking about her comfort and her needs during her stay. However, as the story progresses, his hospitable offerings begin to seem excessive. Although far from conscious prejudice, her actions suggest that she underestimates Robert. Whether she's shielding him from the speaker's comments or repeatedly reminding him to go to bed, her true opinion of him is clear. Even the way she speaks shows her constant need to coddle the blind man. In some ways, she is just as easily swayed by perceptions and assumptions as her husband. His intentions are not malicious, but nevertheless, the speaker's wife is clearly blind to Robert's abilities. With the recognition of these flaws, it is evident that Robert is not the only blind character in the speaker's house. Furthermore, in addition to the individual imperfections of the speaker and his wife, the spouses exhibit several forms of blindness within their relationship. This is one of Carver's most emphasized metaphors in the story. It is revealed that the husband secretly waits for the affectionate affirmation he never receives and the wife often goes to bed alone. The narrator and his wife seem to have a stronger bond with Robert than with each other. Additionally, their interactions paint a picture of a couple with poor communication and a lack of respect. Each partner seems blind to the other's true wants and needs. Dissatisfaction in their relationship could be a direct consequence of this fact. The story immediately demonstrates the speaker's lack of desire to respect his wife, as he almost refuses to allow the blind man to stay in their home. Her reluctance is an obvious insult to Robert and other visually impaired people. But the most profound observation to make concerns the implications of this action within one's marriage. A well-known aspect of successful relationships is the element of sacrifice. Receiving a guest at his home is hardly difficult for the speaker, but he talks tirelessly with his wife on the subject. He is consumed by his own happiness and therefore resists the idea of ​​a stranger taking her attention away from him. In doing so, his selfishness acts like a blindfold, preventing him from seeing the pain that such an attitude causes his wife. The anticipated visit reminds the speaker of his loneliness, and he becomes too preoccupied with his inadequacies to worry about anything else (Facknitz). As the story shows, the woman is capable of as much cruelty as the speaker. He canappears to be a hardened man, immune to criticism and hurtful words, but he clearly values ​​his wife's opinion more than she realizes. Like her husband, the wife is blind to the damage she is causing to their relationship. The real reason for the narrator's rejection of Robert could be jealousy. Whether she realizes it or not, she is largely responsible for this jealousy. The speaker endures story after story of his wife's affection for Robert, which makes him feel threatened. The wife is guilty of repeatedly putting Robert's needs ahead of her own husband's comfort. She also provides excessive details about her past with Robert, such as the poem she wrote about him. This poem is based on an experience in which the blind man touched his face, and its nature seems clearly erotic to the speaker. Such tension only causes more suffering. While discussing Robert's impending visit, she overwhelms him with a cold declaration: "If you love me, you can do this for me." If you don’t like me, fine” (Carver 83). His words are spoken with such disdain that the damage is irreversible. Finally, the wife tells her husband that he has no friends, hurting him deeply to the point of abandoning him and withdrawing completely. Although it is obvious to the reader, the wife is unable to see how she is personally responsible for the animosity in her relationship. The final metaphor for blindness in “Cathedral” differs from the others in that it is voluntary. The story features frequent drug and alcohol use. These substances serve as a method of escape and relaxation in an otherwise tense environment. Shortly after Robert's arrival, the speaker offers him a drink. Later, the two men and the speaker's wife all smoke marijuana together. The conversation takes place between Robert and the speaker, and the atmosphere seems social and civil. However, the blind man and the narrator did not get along so easily before the drug was introduced. We must not forget the inevitable effects of alcohol and tobacco consumption. Although the interaction may seem friendly, it is actually a gesture of cowardice and abandonment often seen in society. Many turn to drugs to relieve stress and improve relationships. This is especially true for the speaker, even though every character participates. The speaker is physically capable of seeing, but he regularly chooses to blind himself with mind-altering substances. It is this mindset that contributes to the speaker's poor performance as a husband. This alcoholic behavior is also partly responsible for his lack of friends (Facknitz). In addition to the narrator, the other characters also choose to blind themselves. All three are clearly aware of the drugs' ability to relieve tension. It's quite possible that without the addition of this activity, the characters would not have connected the way they did. Without disguising his own objections, the speaker may not have experienced the life-changing epiphany expressed in the end of the story. In this way, the metaphorical blindness of substance use is bittersweet. In Raymond Carver's story, "Cathedral," a blind character acts as the gateway to a world of metaphors. Although he cannot see, he is a fully competent and capable character. Beyond visual impairment, blindness is illustrated in many areas of history. These metaphors can be found in the speaker's prejudices and ignorance, or in his wife's inability to provide for herself. Even she, despite her kind attitude, is guilty of having underestimated the blind man and of making3.2 (1992) : 170-172.. 2010.