"Catedral" es narrada por un hombre cuya esposa ha invitado a un viejo amigo a visitar su casa.

El viejo
amigo, Robert , es ciego, que el narrador identifica como la caracterstica definitoria de Robert. A medida que
comienza la historia, el narrador est preocupado por la inminente visita por razones que no puede explicar,
aunque la atribuye a la discapacidad de Robert.
Como explica el narrador, la esposa de Robert haba muerto recientemente y por eso estaba visitando a su
familia en Connecticut. Como el narrador y su esposa viven cerca, Robert se dispuso a visitar, y est en su
camino. La esposa haba trabajado brevemente para Robert una dcada antes en Seattle. Se han mantenido
en contacto mediante el envo de cintas entre s, en el que cada uno narr su vida en detalle. Su esposa haba
estado viviendo en la costa oeste con un hombre al que se iba a casar, y encontr el anuncio de Robert
buscando a alguien que le leyera. El ltimo da que trabaj all, Robert (a quien el narrador contina llamando
"el ciego") le pidi que le tocara la cara y ella estuvo de acuerdo. Pas las manos con sensibilidad por todo su
rostro y cuello, y la experiencia result profunda para la esposa, que es un poeta aspirante y ha tratado de
conmemorar su toque. Ella se lo mostr al narrador cuando empezaron a salir, pero no le importaba. l admite
que podra no entender la poesa.

El narrador cuenta ms sobre el pasado de su esposa. El hombre que estaba esperando en Seattle haba sido
su "amor de la infancia", y despus de casarse, vivieron una vida militar cuando fue trasladado a las bases. Un
ao despus de salir de Seattle, se puso en contacto con Robert, y de ah en adelante comenzaron a
intercambiar las cintas en las que se contaban sus secretos profundos. Continuaron intercambiando cintas como
su vida como una esposa de la Fuerza Area se volvi ms solitaria y solitaria, hasta que finalmente trat de
suicidarse con pldoras. Ella termin tirndolos, pero aprovech la ocasin para perseguir el divorcio, que fue
seguido por su cita con el narrador.

Una vez le pidi al narrador que escuche una de las cintas de Robert. En l, oy su propio nombre hablado, una
extraa experiencia. Fueron interrumpidos por alguien que llam, una interrupcin que le agrad.

La historia salta a su accin principal como la esposa prepara la cena y el narrador sugiere con suavidad tomar
Robert bowling. Le pide que le d la bienvenida a Robert y lo reprenda por no tener amigos. Ella le dice que la
difunta esposa de Robert se llam Beulah , lo que le parece extrao. l le pregunta si Beulah era "un negro", lo
que la hace enojar, pero tambin la lleva a compartir ms del pasado de Robert. Beulah empez a leer para
Robert el verano despus de que ella se haba ido, y pronto se casaron. Despus de ocho aos de matrimonio,
Beulah fue diagnosticada con cncer y muri. l siente lstima por Beulah, "una mujer que poda seguir adelante
da tras da y nunca recibir el ms pequeo elogio de su amada". Se imagina su vida como miserable.
Su esposa se va a buscar a Robert desde el depsito, y se instala con un trago delante del televisor hasta que
escucha el aparcamiento y la risa de su esposa. l mira desde la ventana para verla ayudar a Robert fuera del
coche y bajar la unidad. Se sorprende mucho al ver que Robert tiene una barba llena. Apaga la televisin y
termina la bebida, y luego les da la bienvenida. Su esposa est "radiante" cuando los presenta. Se estrechan
las manos, y luego ella lo lleva al sof. El narrador considera hacer una pequea charla, pero slo pregunta a
qu lado del tren se sent Robert. Aunque la esposa piensa que es una pregunta extraa, Robert responde y
dice que "casi haba olvidado la sensacin" de estar en un tren, haba sido tanto tiempo. El narrador ve a su
esposa finalmente mirarlo, y l tiene "la sensacin de que no le gustaba lo que vio.

El narrador est impresionado con lo poco que parece un hombre ciego estereotipado (gafas oscuras, un
bastn). l nota que los ojos de Robert son espeluznantes de cerca de varias maneras. El narrador ofrece
arreglar las bebidas y Robert dice: "Bub, yo tambin soy un escocs". El narrador est cosquilleado por el uso
del trmino "Bub" (que Robert sigue usando a travs de la historia), y arregla las bebidas.

Beben varias rondas y hablan, principalmente sobre el viaje de Robert. El narrador se sorprende al ver a Robert
fumar cigarrillos, ya que pensaba que el ciego no fumaba. Despus de un tiempo, se sientan a una enorme
cena que prepar la esposa. Antes de que empiecen, el narrador se ofrece a dirigir la oracin, lo que confunde
a su esposa, hasta que dice: "oren que el telfono no toque y la comida no se enfre".

Comen en silencio con entusiasmo, ya que el narrador admira la habilidad de Robert con los utensilios y su
disposicin a usar sus dedos a veces. Despus de la cena, todos estn rellenos. Regresan a la sala de estar
con ms bebidas y hablan ms sobre los ltimos 10 aos. Sobre todo, el narrador slo escucha (se trata de lo
que les sucedi "a ellos", no l, l piensa), de vez en cuando repique para que Robert no cree que ha dejado la
habitacin. l es un poco despreciado de cmo "Robert haba hecho un poco de todo ... un ciego normal de
todos los oficios". De vez en cuando, Robert le pregunta al narrador algunas preguntas, que l contesta sin
mucha conviccin.

Despus de un tiempo, finalmente enciende la televisin. Su esposa est molesta, y lo hace girar para
preguntarle a Robert si tiene una televisin. Robert responde que tiene dos - un color, uno blanco y negro - y
sabe la diferencia. El narrador no tiene "opinin alguna" sobre esto. La mujer confiesa que est cansada y sube
las escaleras para ponerse su tnica.

Estn solos por un tiempo, lo que hace que el narrador se sienta incmodo. Les sirve otra copa y le pregunta si
Robert quiere fumar marihuana. l est de acuerdo y fuman, Robert un poco torpemente ya que parece que
nunca lo ha hecho antes. Cuando su esposa regresa, le da al narrador una "mirada salvaje" para sacar las
drogas, pero Robert parece disfrutarlo. Ellos fuman por un tiempo, hasta que la esposa le dice a Robert que su
cama est fija arriba y luego se queda dormida en el sof. Se da cuenta de que su tnica est abierta en su
muslo, pero no se molesta en corregirla, ya que Robert no puede ver de todos modos.

Se siente incmodo de nuevo y se ofrece a llevar a Robert a la cama, pero Robert dice que "se quedar hasta
que est listo para entrar", ya que no haban hablado mucho. El narrador dice que est "contento por la
compaa", y se da cuenta de inmediato que l es. Confiesa al lector que se queda despierto ms tarde que su
esposa cada noche, apedreado, ya menudo tiene sueos que le asustan.

Cambian entre los canales, pero el nico programa decente es "algo sobre la iglesia y la Edad Media". Robert
dice que funciona bien, ya que "siempre est aprendiendo algo" y ahora puede ser uno de esos tiempos.

Estn silenciosos por un tiempo, Robert se volvi con su odo a la televisin, una posicin que perturba un poco
al narrador. El programa muestra a los monjes medievales en el trabajo, y el narrador comienza a explicar la
imagen a Robert. La televisin muestra una catedral, y el narrador trata de describirla. Robert pregunta si las
pinturas son frescos, pero el narrador no puede recordar lo que son los frescos.

Ocurre repentinamente al narrador que Roberto no podra saber cmo una catedral se parece en
absoluto. Robert slo sabe que tomaron las generaciones para construir, pero no sabe realmente cmo son. El
narrador considera cmo describirlos, pero slo puede reunir descripciones simples: "Son muy altos... se
elevan". l sabe que est haciendo mal, pero Robert es alentador y sigue intentando. El narrador comparte que
"los hombres queran estar cerca de Dios" y por lo tanto los construyeron en lo alto. Despus de un tiempo,
Robert pregunta si el narrador es religioso. El narrador confiesa: "Creo que no creo en ella. Sabiendo que sus
descripciones son pobres, aade que las catedrales no significan nada para l, y son simplemente algo en la
televisin.

Robert se aclara la garganta y le pide al narrador que le haga un favor: busca un papel y una pluma, y dibujarn
juntos una catedral. l dirige arriba - sus piernas que se siente "como no tenan ninguna fuerza en ellas" - y
encuentra algunas fuentes. Se sientan uno cerca del otro y Robert cierra su mano sobre la del narrador, y le
dice a ste que dibuje.

Lentamente y con poca habilidad, comienza a dibujar, la mano de Robert siguiendo la suya. Dibuja una "caja
que pareca una casa" - "podra haber sido la casa en la que vivi" - y contina aadindola. Robert elogia el
trabajo y sugiere que el narrador nunca esperaba una experiencia como sta. El narrador contina - "No pude
parar" - incluso cuando la emisora de televisin sale del aire. Sigue dibujando, mientras su esposa se despierta
y tiene curiosidad por lo que est pasando. El estmulo de Robert se intensifica, y l sugiere que el narrador
agregue gente en la catedral.

Robert le dice al narrador que cierre los ojos, lo que l hace, y luego le anima a dibujar de esa manera. El
narrador acepta, y la experiencia es "como nada ms en [su vida hasta ahora". Despus de un rato, Robert le
dice que piensa que est hecho, y sugiere que el narrador eche un vistazo. Pero no abre los ojos; se siente
obligado a mantenerlos cerrados. Sabe que est en su casa, pero no se siente "como si estuviera dentro de
cualquier cosa". Robert le pregunta cmo se ve y el narrador, sin abrir los ojos para mirar, responde, "Es
realmente algo".
Anlisis
En el centro de la "catedral" es una irona significativa: un narrador que desprecia ignorante ceguera mientras
que es ajeno a sus propias limitaciones a la vista. Por supuesto, el narrador puede ver con sus ojos, pero no se
da cuenta de las limitaciones que ha puesto sobre s mismo, y cmo stos le impiden ver o querer algo ms
grande en la vida. La historia es en ltima instancia sobre la trascendencia; es decir, una existencia ms all de
las limitaciones de las cosas fsicas. Lo que Robert tiene que le falta al narrador es una visin de la maravilla
de las cosas, el potencial de grandeza y ternura en la humanidad, y la curiosidad que puede hacer uno
verdaderamente vivo y libre incluso si uno est limitado por factores fsicos.

Para entender al narrador, es til analizar la voz magistral de primera persona de la historia. La narracin es
posiblemente una de las ms vivas de Carver. El narrador se acerca con su oyente, tanto en trminos de lo que
l comparte (sus inseguridades son innumerables), sino tambin a travs de las cualidades personales que
revela. l es grosero y l es malo, pero tambin es glib. Hay un mal humor en la forma en que habla. Aunque
ciertamente est separado de s mismo al principio, es inusualmente hablador e inteligente para un narrador
Carver. Es una voz que vale la pena leer en voz alta, especialmente cuando uno nota que la glibness est
notablemente ausente de las pginas finales. Esta ausencia libera tan poderosamente como cualquier otra cosa
lo agitado y afectado que es el narrador por esta experiencia.

La caracterizacin hace mucho para disimular el problema principal del narrador: est separado de su
vida. Como con la mayora de las historias de esta coleccin, el personaje parece observarse ms que sentirse
en control. El uso nocturno de drogas y el abuso de alcohol claro son maneras fciles de entender esto. Est
diciendo que a pesar de su aparente honestidad, l nunca admite en voz alta sus celos de Robert basado en la
relacin pasada del hombre ciego con su esposa. Evidentemente, hay intimidacin sexual - vea su lenguaje
cuando describe el toque de la cara - pero nunca lo reconoce. Pero este celos no esconde una relacin
funcional; l es despectivo de su esposa, y habla de sus grandes experiencias emocionales con una glibness
particular. Del mismo modo, parece despectivo de su deseo de escribir poesa.

O mi propio nombre en la boca de este extrao, este ciego que ni siquiera conoca! Y luego esto (de la
cinta de Robert): "De todo lo que has dicho sobre l, slo puedo concluir..." Pero nos interrumpieron,
llamaron a la puerta, algo, y nunca volvimos a la cinta. Tal vez estaba igual de bien. Haba odo todo lo
que quera.
A pesar de todo su juicio sobre los dems, el narrador est ms que feliz de no volver su mirada crtica sobre
s mismo, o de ser confrontado con tanto. Pero est solo - no tiene amigos (como su esposa dice), y se queda
viendo la televisin apedreada cada noche cuando se va a la cama. Es decir que, en la primera etapa de su
tiempo a solas con Robert, confiesa que realmente estaba feliz de tener la compaa. Hay un interesante aparte
cuando escucha a Robert y su esposa hablar de su ltima dcada aparte. l dice: "Hablaron de cosas que les
haban sucedido a ellos, a estos ltimos diez aos!" Ya sea que simplemente le molesta que le descuiden (a
pesar de que parece desinteresado en responder a las preguntas de Robert acerca de s mismo) o si quiere
decir que viven vidas ms satisfactorias que l no entiende, su aparte habla a su sentido de aislamiento. Como
le dice a Robert tarde en la historia, "no cree en nada". No tiene conexin con nada ms grande o ms pequeo
que l.

Esta sensacin de aislamiento ayuda a demostrar su tenaz obstinacin, ms evidente en sus sentimientos y
nociones preconcebidas de ceguera. Inmediatamente identifica a los ciegos como distantes y distintos de una
persona "normal". Como l admite, su idea de la ceguera viene de las pelculas. Sus ideas son francamente
absurdas: por ejemplo, piensa que las personas ciegas no pueden fumar, o que no usan barba. Pero lo que no
est en muchas pelculas es el odio que exhibe - "quin querra ir a una boda en primer lugar?" l pregunta
sobre las bodas de Robert y Beulah. Y su actitud respecto a Beulah es duramente insensible. Parece
legtimamente apenado por Beulah por su matrimonio con Robert, como si su falta de vista significara que no
poda apreciarla.

Por supuesto, la irona es que Robert probablemente apreci a su esposa ms que el propio narrador, a pesar
de la visin visual de este ltimo. El narrador est ms que alejado de su esposa - la desprecia. Peor an es su
comportamiento cuando llega Robert - l mismo observa que ella est "radiante" con la presencia de Robert, y
sin embargo dice o hace cosas que le dan miradas de enojo en tres ocasiones. l piensa que Beulah debe
haber sido infeliz solamente porque ella fue privada de los elogios fsicos - asimismo, la posesiveness solamente
que el narrador demuestra sobre su esposa es sexual, en el momento con la tnica.

Y la mayor irona de todo es, por supuesto, que el ciego ve ms que nadie. Este tema es al menos tan antiguo
como Tiresias en la mitologa griega, aunque probablemente sea mayor. La irona es que los ciegos son sabios
porque "ven" alguna verdad ms grande porque no estn cegados por las limitaciones del mundo fsico. En otro
sentido, trascienden lo fsico. Robert est interesado en viajar y aprender, con intentar encontrar una
profundidad en las relaciones (visto en el smbolo de las cintas que envan), al tratar de conectarse con otros.

Lo que Robert ve y ensea al narrador es ver esta realidad trascendente. Robert siente una profundidad en la
realidad que confunde al narrador. Incluso antes de sentarse juntos para dibujar la catedral, Robert ha
comenzado a afectar al narrador. No es nada particular, dice l, pero sin embargo el narrador se encuentra
dndose cuenta de que disfruta de la compaa y luego se siente obligado a explorar los lmites de la vista de
Robert ya ayudar al ciego a visualizar una catedral. Intenta describir la catedral, pero cuando no puede, intenta
retroceder hacia el cinismo. l dice: "La verdad es que las catedrales no significan nada especial para m, nada,
catedrales, son algo que ver en la televisin de ltima hora". Pero, por supuesto, la dramtica irona es que
somos muy conscientes de que de hecho ha sido afectado, y puede ' retirarse tan fcilmente a su persona
separada. Al final, con los ojos cerrados, no enfocados en lo que ha estado dibujando, sino en algo que no
puede comprender, el narrador se siente libre: "Yo estaba en mi casa, lo saba. Siento como si estuviera dentro
de cualquier cosa. " No est atrapado y aislado en su propio cuerpo y situacin, sino ms bien parte de una
existencia mayor.

Podra ser un error hablar de la historia como religiosa, pero ciertamente la visin trascendente de la realidad a
la que Robert lidera el narrador est conectada con el cristianismo. La ms obvia es la imagen central de una
catedral. La visin de Robert de una catedral enfatiza su funcin como un lugar para la comunidad. Est menos
interesado en su tamao que en el hecho de que el edificio existe a travs de la dedicacin de generaciones de
personas. Y cuando el narrador est dibujando la catedral, la instruccin final que Robert da es: "Ponga a
algunas personas all ahora". As que mientras Robert no est intentando una conversin necesariamente, est
tratando de indicar al narrador el poder de la fe en algo mayor. La oracin falsa que usa el narrador es un poco
desconcertante en cuanto a la historia, a menos que usted piensa en ella como un set-up para la conversacin
posterior. Cuando el narrador hace la broma, Robert baja la cabeza. Y ms tarde, le pregunta al narrador si es
religioso, y el narrador confiesa que "no cree en nada". La experiencia que tienen puede ser vista como un ritual
religioso - comparten una comunin de olla, y entonces el hombre ciego lo lleva a travs del abismo de su
aislamiento autoimpuesto para aceptar un lugar en una realidad ms libre. Fjese en la forma en que Robert
escucha tan silenciosamente mientras el narrador se burla para explicar lo que ve, y luego le anima
constantemente a continuar. Es la dulzura de un sacerdote o un confesor, alguien que se est dedicando a su
beneficio espiritual por el momento. y luego constantemente le anima a continuar. Es la dulzura de un sacerdote
o un confesor, alguien que se est dedicando a su beneficio espiritual por el momento. y luego constantemente
le anima a continuar. Es la dulzura de un sacerdote o un confesor, alguien que se est dedicando a su beneficio
espiritual por el momento.

Por supuesto, incluido en la concepcin de Robert de una catedral es que las personas que trabajan en ellos
rara vez viven para ver su trabajo completado. El efusivo optimismo de esta historia es un poderoso fin de la
coleccin, que ms a menudo mora en el fracaso que la esperanza, y en el contexto no se debe tomar para
reducir la cosmovisin de Carver a una celebracin del poder de trascender. Pero celebra el poder que la belleza
y la comunin frente al aislamiento abrumador pueden tener, la forma en que puede aclarar nuestras luchas y
fracasos cotidianos, como si dijramos que debemos enfrentar nuestro aislamiento, la soledad y los lmites,
continuando trabajando contra l da a da, incluso si nosotros, como los creadores de la catedral, nunca
veremos nuestro trabajo completado.]

En "Catedral", el narrador no confronta las profundidades de su soledad. En cambio, l vuelve su infelicidad

hacia otros, atacando a la gente incluso por sus discapacidades (como con Robert ). No es hasta que Robert
se fuerza a s mismo en la vida del narrador que este ltimo se da cuenta de que est solo y desesperadamente
busca ms de la vida.
En "Catedral", una de las primeras veces que el narrador da crdito a Robert por algo es cuando reconoce que
en realidad est feliz de tener compaa por la noche. De ah, Robert muestra al narrador el placer de la libertad
y la trascendencia, el placer de sentirse parte del mundo fuera de s mismo.
En "Catedral", la epifana llega cuando el narrador, un hombre que decide vivir frente a la TV ignorando el resto
de su vida, finalmente toma medidas para crear algo para s mismo. Robert, que est interesado en viajar y
aprender cosas nuevas, lleva al narrador a tomar medidas para ser parte del mundo mayor, trascender su
soledad.
En "Catedral", el narrador se esconde detrs de la deslumbramiento y la mezquindad cuando lo que realmente
quiere es estar conectado a algo. Es totalmente inconsciente de la profundidad de sus problemas (o al menos
no puede expresarlos) hasta que Robert lo lleva a mirar primero dentro de s mismo y finalmente a ver cmo
eso lo lleva a una mayor comunin con el mundo.
Quizs "Catedral" es la mejor indicacin del tema, sin embargo. Con tal vez el final ms optimista, presenta a
un hombre que trasciende sus limitaciones no a travs de palabras, sino ms bien a travs de una comunin
silenciosa. De la misma manera que Robert "ve" una mayor vida a pesar de su ceguera, el dibujo de la catedral
lleva al narrador a decir ms a s mismo sobre lo que necesita, incluso si no puede ponerlo en palabras.
"Cathedral" is narrated by a man whose wife has invited an old friend to visit their home. The old friend, Robert,
is blind, which the narrator identifies as Robert's defining characteristic. As the story begins, the narrator is
troubled by the impending visit for reasons he can't quite explain, though he attributes it to Robert's disability.
As the narrator explains, Robert's wife had died recently and so he was visiting her family in Connecticut. As the
narrator and his wife live nearby, Robert arranged to visit, and is on his way. The wife had worked briefly for
Robert a decade before in Seattle. They have kept in touch by mailing tapes to one another, on which each
narrated his or her life in detail. His wife had been living on the West coast with a man she was going to marry,
and found Robert's ad seeking someone to read to him. On the last day she worked there, Robert (who the
narrator continues to call "the blind man") asked to touch her face and she agreed. He ran his hands sensitively
all over her face and neck, and the experience proved profound to the wife, who is an aspiring poet and has tried
to memorialize his touch. She showed it to the narrator when they started dating, but he didn't care for it. He
admits he might not understand poetry.

The narrator tells more of his wife's past. The man she was waiting for in Seattle had been her "childhood
sweetheart," and after they married, they lived a military life as he was transferred to bases. One year after
leaving Seattle, she contacted Robert, and they thereafter began to exchange the tapes on which they would tell
each other their deep secrets. They continued to exchange tapes as her life as an Air Force wife got lonelier and
lonelier, until she finally tried to kill herself with pills. She ended up throwing them up, but used the occasion to
pursue a divorce, which was followed by her dating the narrator.

She once asked the narrator to listen to one of Robert's tapes. On it, he heard his own name spoken, a strange
experience. They were interrupted by someone knocking, an interruption which pleased him.

The story jumps into its main action as the wife prepares dinner and the narrator glibly suggests taking Robert
bowling. She begs him to welcome Robert and chides him for having no friends, "period." She tells him that
Robert's late wife was named Beulah, which he finds bizarre. He asks her if Beulah was "a Negro," which makes
her angry but also leads her to share more of Robert's past. Beulah began reading for Robert the summer after
she had left, and they were soon thereafter wed. After eight years of marriage, Beulah was diagnosed with
cancer and died. He feels sorry for Beulah, "a woman who could go on day after day and never receive the
smallest compliment from her beloved." He imagines her life as miserable.
His wife leaves to fetch Robert from the depot, and he settles with a drink in front of the TV until he hears the car
park and his wife's laughter. He watches from the window to see her helping Robert out of the car and down the
drive. He is greatly surprised to see Robert has a full beard. He turns off the TV and finishes the drink, and then
welcomes them in. His wife is "beaming" when she introduces them. They shake hands, and then she leads him
to the sofa. The narrator considers making small talk, but only asks which side of the train Robert sat on. Though
the wife think it a strange question, Robert answers it and says he had "nearly forgotten the sensation" of being
on a train, it had been so long. The narrator sees his wife finally look at him, and he gets "the feeling she didn't
like what she saw."

The narrator is impressed with how little like a stereotypical blind man (dark glasses, a cane) Robert looks. He
does notice that Robert's eyes are creepy up close in various ways. The narrator offers to fix drinks and Robert
says, "Bub, I'm a scotch man myself." The narrator is tickled by the use of the term "Bub" (which Robert continues
to use through the story), and fixes the drinks.

They drink several rounds and talk, mostly about Robert's trip. The narrator is surprised to see Robert smoke
cigarettes, since he thought the blind did not smoke. After a while, they sit to a huge dinner that the wife prepared.
Before they start, the narrator offers to lead prayer, which confuses his wife, until he says, "pray the phone won't
ring and the food doesn't get cold."

They eat heartily in silence, as the narrator admires Robert's proficiency with utensils and his willingness to use
his fingers at times. After dinner, all are stuffed. They return to the living room with more drinks, and talk more
about the past 10 years. Mostly, the narrator just listens (it's about what happened "to them," not him, he thinks),
occasionally chiming in so that Robert doesn't think he's left the room. He is a bit contemptuous of how "Robert
had done a little of everythinga regular blind jack-of-all-trades." Occasionally, Robert asks the narrator some
questions, which he answers without much conviction.
After a while, he finally turns on the TV. His wife is annoyed, and spins it to ask Robert if he has a TV. Robert
answers that he has two one color, one black-and-white and knows the difference. The narrator has "no
opinion" on this. The wife confesses she's tired and heads upstairs to put on her robe.

They're alone for a while, which makes the narrator feel awkward. He pours them another drink and asks if
Robert would like to smoke marijuana. He agrees and they smoke, Robert a bit awkwardly since he seems never
to have done so before. When his wife returns, she gives the narrator a "savage look" for pulling out drugs, but
Robert seems to enjoy it. They smoke for a while, until the wife tells Robert his bed is fixed upstairs and then
she falls asleep on the couch. He notices her robe is open on her thigh, but doesn't bother to correct it since
Robert can't see anyway.

He feels awkward again, and offers to lead Robert to bed, but Robert says he'll "stay up until you're ready to turn
in," since they hadn't talked much. The narrator says he's "glad for the company," and realizes right away that
he is. He confesses to the reader that he stays awake later than his wife each night, stoned, and often has
dreams that frighten him.

They switch between the channels, but the only decent program is "something about the church and the Middle
Ages." Robert says that works fine, since he's "always learning something" and now can be one of those times.

They are silent for a while, Robert turned with his ear to the TV, a position that disturbs the narrator a bit. The
program shows medieval monks at work, and the narrator begins to explain the image to Robert. The TV shows
a cathedral, and the narrator tries to describe it. Robert asks if the paintings are frescoes, but the narrator can't
remember what frescoes are.

It suddenly occurs to the narrator that Robert might not know what a cathedral looks like at all. Robert knows
only that they took generations to build, but doesn't really know what they look like. The narrator considers how
to describe them, but can only muster simple descriptions "They're very tallthey reach way up." He knows
he's doing poorly, but Robert is encouraging and he continues trying. The narrator shares that "men wanted to
be close to God" and hence built them high. After a while, Robert asks whether the narrator is at all religious.
The narrator confesses, "I guess I don't believe in it. In anything." Knowing his descriptions are poor, he adds
that cathedrals mean nothing to him, and are simply something on the TV.

Robert clears his throat and asks the narrator to do him a favor: find some paper and pen, and they will draw a
cathedral together. He heads upstairs his legs feeling "like they didn't have any strength in them" and finds
some supplies. They sit near one another and Robert closes his hand over that of the narrator, and tells the latter
to draw.

Slowly and with little skill, he begins to sketch, Robert's hand following his own. He draws a "box that looked like
a house" "it could have been the house [he] lived in" and continues to add onto it. Robert compliments the
work and suggests the narrator never expected an experience like this one. The narrator keeps going "I couldn't
stop" even as the TV station goes off-air. He keeps drawing, even as his wife wakes and is curious about
what's happening. Robert's encouragement intensifies, and he suggests the narrator add people in the cathedral.

Robert tells the narrator to close his eyes, which he does, and then encourages him to draw that way. The
narrator acquiesces, and the experience is "like nothing else in [his life up to now." After a bit, Robert tells him
he thinks it's done, and suggests the narrator take a look. But he doesnt open his eyes; he feels compelled to
keep them closed. He knows he is in his house, but he doesn't feel "like [he] was inside anything." Robert asks
him how it looks and the narrator, without opening his eyes to look, answers, "It's really something."

Analysis
At the center of "Cathedral" is a significant irony: a narrator who ignorantly disdains blindness while being
oblivious to his own limitations in sight. Of course, the narrator can see with his eyes but does not realize the
limitations he has placed on himself, and how those prevent him from seeing or wanting anything greater in life.
The story is ultimately about transcendence; that is, an existence beyond the limitations of physical things. What
Robert has that the narrator lacks is a sight into the wonder of things, the potential for greatness and tenderness
in humanity, and the curiosity that can make one truly alive and free even if one is limited by physical factors.
To understand the narrator, it is helpful to analyze the masterful first-person voice of the story. The narration is
arguably one of Carver's most vivid. The narrator is forthcoming with his listener, both in terms of what he shares
(his insecurities are myriad) but also through the personal qualities he reveals. He's crude and he's mean, but
he's also glib. There's a wicked humor in the way he talks. While he certainly is detached from himself at the
beginning, he is unusually talkative and clever for a Carver narrator. It's a voice worth reading aloud, especially
when one notices that the glibness is noticeably absent from the final pages. This absence delivers as powerfully
as anything else how shaken and affected the narrator is by this experience.

The characterization does a lot to disguise the narrator's primary problem: he is detached from his life. As with
most of the stories in this collection, the character seems to observe himself more than to feel himself in control.
The nightly drug use and clear alcohol abuse are easy ways to understand this. It's telling that for all his seeming
honesty, he never admits aloud his jealousy of Robert based on the blind man's past relationship with his wife.
There is obviously sexual intimidation look at his language when he describes the touching of the face yet
he never acknowledges it. But this jealousy doesnt hide a functioning relationship; he is dismissive of his wife,
and speaks of her great emotional experiences with a particular glibness. Likewise, he seems contemptuous of
her desire to write poetry. His detachment from himself is well-reflected in the incident where he listens to one
of Robert's tapes with his wife.

I heard my own name in the mouth of this stranger, this blind man I didn't even know! And then this
[from Robert's tape]: "From all you've said about him, I can only conclude" But we were interrupted, a
knock at the door, something, and we didn't ever get back to the tape. Maybe it was just as well. I'd heard
all I wanted to."

For all his judgment of others, the narrator is more than happy to not turn his critical eye on himself, or to be
confronted with as much. But he is alone he has no friends (as his wife says), and he stays up watching TV
stoned each night when she goes to bed. It's telling that, in the early stage of his time alone with Robert, he
confesses that he truly was happy to have the company. There is an interesting aside when he listens to Robert
and his wife talk about their past decade apart. He says, "They talked of things that had happened to themto
them!these past ten years!" Whether he is simply annoyed that they are neglecting him (even though he seems
uninterested in answering Robert's questions about himself) or if he means to suggest they live more fulfilling
lives that he doesn't understand, his aside speaks to his sense of isolation. As he tells Robert late in the story,
he "doesn't believe in anything." He has no connection to anything greater or smaller than himself.

This sense of isolation helps to demonstrate his obstinate close-mindedness, most apparent in his feelings and
pre-conceived notions of blindness. He immediately identifies the blind as remote and distinct from a 'normal'
person. As he admits, his idea of blindness comes from the movies. His ideas are frankly absurd: for instance,
he thinks blind people can't smoke, or that they don't wear beards. But what is not in many movies is the
hatefulness he exhibits "who'd want to go to such a wedding in the first place?" he asks about Robert and
Beulah's nuptials. And his attitude about Beulah is harshly insensitive. He seems legitimately sorry for Beulah
because of her marriage to Robert, as though his lack of sight meant he couldn't appreciate her.

Of course, the irony is that Robert most likely appreciated his wife more than the narrator does his own, despite
the latter's visual sight. The narrator is more than remote from his wife he's dismissive of her. Worse is his
behavior when Robert arrives he himself notes that she is "beaming" with Robert's presence, and nevertheless
says or does things that earn angry looks from her on three occasions. He thinks Beulah must have been
unhappy solely because she was deprived physical compliments likewise, the only possessiveness the narrator
shows over his wife is sexual, in the moment with the robe.

And the greatest irony of all is of course that the blind man sees more than anyone else. This theme is at least
as old as Tiresias in Greek mythology, though it's likely older. The irony is that the blind are wise because they
'see' some greater truth because they are not blinded by the limitations of the physical world. In another sense,
they transcend the physical. Robert is interested in traveling and learning, with attempting to find a depth in
relationships (seen in the symbol of the tapes they send), in attempting to connect with others.

What Robert sees and teaches the narrator is to see this transcendent reality. Robert senses a depth in reality
that confuses the narrator. Even before they sit together to draw the cathedral, Robert has begun to affect the
narrator. It's nothing particular, he says, but nevertheless the narrator finds himself realizing that he does enjoy
company, and then feeling compelled to explore the limits of Robert's sight, and to help the blind man visualize
a cathedral. He tries to describe the cathedral, but when he can't, he attempts to retreat back into cynicism. He
says, "The truth is, cathedrals don't mean anything special to me. Nothing. Cathedrals. They're something to
look at on late-night TV." But of course, the dramatic irony is that we're well aware that he has indeed been
affected, and can't retreat to his detached persona so easily. In the end, with his eyes closed, not at all focused
on what he has been drawing but rather on something he can't comprehend, the narrator feels free "I was in
my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything." He is not trapped and isolated in his own body
and situation, but rather part of a greater existence.

It might be a mistake to talk about the story as religious, but certainly the transcendent view of reality to which
Robert leads the narrator is connected to Christianity. Most obvious is the central image of a cathedral. Robert's
view of a cathedral emphasizes its function as a place for community. He's less interested in its size than in the
fact that the building exists through the dedication of generations of people. And when the narrator is drawing
the cathedral, the final instruction Robert gives is, "Put some people in there now." So while Robert is not
attempting a conversion necessarily, he is attempting to indicate to the narrator the power of faith in something
greater. The fake-out prayer that the narrator uses is a bit befuddling in terms of story, unless you think of it as
a set-up for the later conversation. When the narrator makes the joke, Robert lowers his head. And later, he asks
the narrator whether he is religious, and the narrator confesses he "doesn't believe in anything." The experience
they have could be viewed as a religious ritual they share a communion of pot, and then the blind man leads
him across the gulf of his self-imposed isolation to accept a place in a more free reality. Notice the way Robert
listens so quietly as the narrator fumbles to explain what he sees, and then consistently encourages him to
continue. It's the gentleness of a priest or a confessor, someone who is devoting himself to your spiritual benefit
for the moment.

Of course, included in Robert's conception of a cathedral is that the people who work on them rarely live to see
their work completed. The effusive optimism of this story is a powerful end to the collection, which more often
dwells in failure than hope, and in context should not be taken to reduce Carver's worldview to a celebration of
the power to transcend. But it does celebrate the power that beauty and communion in the face of overpowering
isolation can have, the way it can brighten our daily struggles and failures, as though to say that we must confront
our isolation, loneliness and limits, continuing to work against it day-by-day even if we will, like the cathedral
creators, never see our work completed.

In "Cathedral," the narrator does not confront the depths of his loneliness. Instead, he turns his unhappiness
towards others, attacking people even for their disabilities (as with Robert). It's not until Robert forces himself
into the narrator's life that the latter realizes he is lonely and desperately seeks more from life.
In "Cathedral," one of the first times the narrator gives Robert credit for anything is when he acknowledges that
he is actually is happy to have company at night. From there, Robert shows the narrator the pleasure of freedom
and transcendence, the pleasure of feeling part of the world outside of himself.
In "Cathedral," the epiphany comes when the narrator, a man who chooses to live in front of the TV ignoring the
rest of his life, finally takes action to create something for himself. Robert, who is interested in travel and learning
new things, leads the narrator to take action towards being a part of the greater world, to transcending his
loneliness.
In "Cathedral," the narrator hides behind glibness and meanness when what he truly wants is to be connected
to something. He is totally unaware of the depth of his problems (or at least he cannot express them) until Robert
leads him to first look inside himself and then finally to see how that leads him into a greater communion with
the world.
Perhaps "Cathedral" is the best indication of the theme, however. With perhaps the most optimistic ending, it
features a man who transcends his limitations not through words but rather through a silent communion. In the
same way Robert 'sees' greater life despite his blindness, the drawing of the cathedral leads the narrator to say
more to himself about what he needs, even if he can't put it into words.