Cathedral by Raymond Carver.
Raymond Carver was an American short story author and poet. He is mostly known as a renowned writer of short stories such as Cathedral and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.
Cathedral involves the events of 3 characters; the narrator, his wife and her old friend, and former colleague named Robert. At the beginning, the wife invites Robert to visit their home. We are then given a few details about Robert, as he is blind and also a widower. The narrator chooses to define Robert by his impairments rather than viewing him as an ordinary person. This irritates the narrator’s wife as he is her dear friend with whom she has been keeping in touch with over time.
The narrator also gives a brief history about his wife’s past stating that she married her childhood sweetheart, who was a military officer. Given the nature of his work, they didn’t spend much time together and his wife got lonely, leading her to attempt committing suicide through a drug overdose. She survived the incident but later divorced her husband.
The narrator proceeds to describe the events of the night, and he is amazed by how Robert is capable, and how his blindness doesn’t prevent him from eating. In the climax of the story, the narrator and Robert discuss about cathedrals and Robert asks him to draw one with him. Robert participates in this by giving suggestions and complementing the narrator. Finally, he urges the narrator to close his eyes and continue drawing. This gives the narrator a glimpse of Roberts life, and it amazes him.
In conclusion, the cathedral symbolizes the power of imagination. The ability to see beyond sight. It is something that can be seen but also needs to be understood to get the full picture.