"Cathedral" Review (P2) by

fhernandez20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:40:23 UTC

“It’s really something,” I said.

2024-10-22 16:40:52 UTC

“But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.‘It’s really something,’ I said”

“What’s a cathedral without people?”

2024-10-22 16:41:04 UTC

2024-10-22 16:41:08 UTC

“I heard my own name in the mouth of this stranger, this blind man I didn’t even know!”

2024-10-22 16:41:08 UTC

“You didn’t think you could. But you can, can’t you?”

“Robert was left with a small insurance policy and half of a twenty-peso Mexican coin. The other half of the coin went into the box with her. Pathetic.”

2024-10-22 16:41:13 UTC

2024-10-22 16:41:19 UTC

Too much white in the iris, for one thing, and the pupils seemed to move around in the sockets without his knowing it or being able to stop it. Creepy

2024-10-22 16:41:23 UTC

“He was no one Ik ew. And his being blind bothered me.” (1)

mmerla2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:41:25 UTC

“I’m imagining now — her last thought … an express to the grave”

Seanna Tygard

2024-10-22 16:41:32 UTC

“My idea of blindness came from the movies.” (1)

2024-10-22 16:41:51 UTC

“I heard my own name in the mouth of this stranger, this blind man I didn’t even know!”

Gia Belevick

2024-10-22 16:41:53 UTC

One of the most striking lines to me was when our narrator stated at the end of the first paragraph, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.” This makes the narrator sound harsh and unnecessarily disrespectful so it came as a shock to me when I read it

tnguyen20252_1 — 2024-10-22 16:41:53 UTC

“But it didn’t feel like I was inside anything”.

ecalimlim20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:41:57 UTC

“I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me” (Carver 1).

2024-10-22 16:41:58 UTC

“That’s a good question. I don’t know.”

2024-10-22 16:42:05 UTC

“Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one.”

2024-10-22 16:42:38 UTC

A blind man in my house was not something I look forward too.

2024-10-22 16:42:39 UTC

My idea of blindness came from the movies

kmiao2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:42:43 UTC

“She went in and swallowed all the pills and capsules in the medicine chest and washed them down with a bottle of gin. Then she got into a hot bath and passed out.”

2024-10-22 16:42:44 UTC

“ that’s a good question I don’t know “

tnguyen20252_1 — 2024-10-22 16:42:59 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship between the men as cold and tense. The narrator seems unwelcoming towards the blind man and they have nothing in common except for the narrator’s wife.

“What’s a cathedral without people?”

2024-10-22 16:43:00 UTC

2024-10-22 16:43:07 UTC

“But if you looked close, there was something different about them.”

At the get go, he characterizes it as adversarial. Were told through the narrators perspective that the blind man bothers him, likely because of the way his own wife treats him in comparison to himself. However, as the story progresses, it seems that the two become companions of one another, representing character growth.

2024-10-22 16:43:40 UTC

2024-10-22 16:43:48 UTC

“What's a cathedral without people?”

2024-10-22 16:43:56 UTC

Carver demonstrates that although never having met until now the men don’t have a good relationship. This is because the husband feels a resounding amount of jealousy towards the blind man as he’s such good friends with his wife.

2024-10-22 16:43:57 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship as very tense and almost conditional as the husband is there for the wife but so is the blind man. This changes through the story though as the husband and the blind man connect when the wife is asleep.

ecalimlim20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:44:02 UTC

Their relationship is very awkward and standoffish at first, even when they share drinks. There is this sort of tension, mostly on the narrator’s part where he doesn’t quite know how to act around the blind man, and seems to not want him there. However, as the story progresses, the tension mellows and eventually they find a sort of companionship towards the end.

2024-10-22 16:44:03 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship between the men through actions and dialogue. Because the blind man is blind, his relationship with the narrator is dependent upon what he can feel and what he can hear. In the beginning, the narrator is reluctant to even speak to the blind man, demonstrating the way in which he has distanced himself. By the end, the narrator and the blind man form a closer bond and understanding of one another through the action of drawing the cathedral.

2024-10-22 16:44:06 UTC

The relationship between the husband and the blind man comes from discomfort to a moment of connection and understanding, symbolizing the husband’s emotional and perceptual awakening.

2024-10-22 16:44:09 UTC

The relationship between the two men at first is tense. The narrator has a lot of preconceived notions about blind people and seems to not know how to deal with them before meeting Robert.

2024-10-22 16:44:13 UTC

He characterizes them as being a bit more protective of themselves and being self centered. On the surface, they don’t seem to have much in common, and they don’t think they have anything in common, but once they start to interact, they connect.

mmerla2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:44:20 UTC

The relationship between a Robert and our narrator is tense as the narrator is ignorant and unwelcoming to his guest, whereas Robert is warm and inviting as he is eager to learn more.

2024-10-22 16:44:23 UTC

He makes the relationship have lots of tension throughout the story. Especially with the husband, who has hatred for the blind man.

2024-10-22 16:44:37 UTC

Robert is open and friendly while the husband is at first disgusted, but slowly accepts Robert. From the husbands point of view, there is great tension in their relationship at first.

2024-10-22 16:44:43 UTC

The main character is condescending, closed-minded, and initially doesn’t view the blind man as someone worthy of his time. The blind man is the opposite; adventurous, caring, and not judge-mental.

2024-10-22 16:44:47 UTC

The characterization is cold, tense, and unwelcoming. The narrator is comes off as rude and unpleasant towards the guest while Robert is welcoming to his guest.

kmiao2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:44:51 UTC

At first, Carter characterizes the relationship between the men as tense, but they are still friendly to each other and treat each other with respect. Towards the end of the story, they become more comfortable and relaxed around each other.

Carver allows the the characters be slightly more protected, his attitude almost affects them in an, way although they don’t seem to have a lot in common their attributes allow carver to connect them in that sense

2024-10-22 16:44:54 UTC

2024-10-22 16:45:02 UTC

The relationship between the two men is characterized through a unwelcome, strained relationship since the narrator isn’t fond of the blind man’s connection to his wife.

fhernandez20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:45:03 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship between the men as one sided at first, as Robert genuinely wants to get to know the narrator, while he begrudgingly interacts with him only because of his wife’s wishes.

2024-10-22 16:45:04 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship between the men as if the man had an eerie feeling about the blind man from the start but would want to keep his respect for him.

2024-10-22 16:45:04 UTC

The relationship is characterized as a harsh cold conditional relationship. This creates a lot of tension especially when discuss the husbands hatred for the blind man

mnjones2025_1_1 — 2024-10-22 16:45:32 UTC

“She wrote a poem-usually after something important that happened to her.”

This is where the narrator begins to understand the plight of the blind man. Rather than pushing the man’s struggles to the side in a callous manner, he sympathizes with him by closing his eyes. The feeling he describes must be what the blind man experiences.

2024-10-22 16:45:39 UTC

2024-10-22 16:46:01 UTC

This line is depicting the jealousy the husband feels. As he claims that although he’s in his own home with his wife he feels like he doesn’t belong when the blind man’s there and that he feels left out of the conversations.

2024-10-22 16:46:05 UTC

Carver characterize the relationship between men with a lot of tension. From the beginning of the story where the narrator wasn't that welcoming towards the blind men to being friends with him at the end.

ecalimlim20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:46:07 UTC

The narrator is able to understand how the blind man views the world that he cannot see entirely. He understands that he is in a certain location, but at the same time feels that he is not limited by his sight anymore; seeing things creates a limit of space, yet with his eyes closed, the narrator feels like the area around him is limitless.

2024-10-22 16:46:08 UTC

The husband starts off quite put off by the blind man notably his eyes and relationship with the blind man’s dead wife but grows to accept him

2024-10-22 16:46:10 UTC

He is lost in thought, unaware of his surroundings while he tries to imagine this cathedral as Robert does.

2024-10-22 16:46:13 UTC

This line it’s important because it demonstrates the importance that visuals have to the narrator, and the dependence that he has upon what he can see. It marks a shift in his characterization from being disdainful to what he can’t understand, in this case blindness, into his attempt to gain a greater understanding of the way which the blind man must live.

2024-10-22 16:46:25 UTC

The line refers to the narrator getting outside of his comfort zone. It represents his change in perspective and his growth as a person. He has entered a new space.

2024-10-22 16:46:43 UTC

This line is the husbands interpretation of the feeling of blindness. He feels alienated from his vision but also his surrounding. This quote is a point deep from the husband that foils with the wife’s poem about how she was moved by understanding the blind.

fhernandez20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:46:55 UTC

The narrator understands how Robert feels because even though he knows he’s in his house he feels like he’s surrounded by emptiness as far as his eyes are concerned.

tnguyen20252_1 — 2024-10-22 16:47:02 UTC

I believe that in this quote, the narrator is explaining that although he has had eyesight for all his life, it was like he never truly saw the world. I think that after the drawing experience, he became more connected to the world around him.

mmerla2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:47:03 UTC

The narrator closed his eyes and kept them closed. He began to realize his dependence on his eyesight and his perspective began to change.

2024-10-22 16:47:04 UTC

The narrator is stating to understand Robert more, by seeing how he views the world. He’s seeing the difference between seeing the world and understanding the world.

2024-10-22 16:47:07 UTC

I believe the narrator felt alive and at peace also showing a shift in character development when at first he didn’t like blind people and at the end, he enjoys peace

2024-10-22 16:47:08 UTC

The line is important as it contrasts with the man and the blind man’s perspectives. After trying to perceive how the blind man feels he realized how it must have been for him.

2024-10-22 16:47:11 UTC

Carver characterizes the relationship between Robert and the husband as a growing relationship, it was no secret at the beginning that the husband was extremely wary and apprehensive of this man, “this same blind man was coming to sleep in my house.” (4) Towards the end, however, he doesn’t necessarily accept Robert, rather, he starts to ‘see’ through his point of view, that other things can be beautiful without sight.

2024-10-22 16:47:13 UTC

The narrator starts to have some sympathy for the blind man As he’s confused and seems lost and tries to relate back to the blind man

2024-10-22 16:47:22 UTC

This line shows how the husband feels about the home, thinking about how Robert feels.

kmiao2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:47:26 UTC

When showing the drawing of the cathedral to the blind man, he felt a euphoric, out-of-body feeling, becoming immersed in the art and his actions. He felt transcended from the room and let his imagination take over reality.

2024-10-22 16:47:30 UTC

The narrator has a greater understanding of the blind man and becomes more understanding of him

2024-10-22 16:47:37 UTC

I feel like this line shows that after talking to the blind man all day, the narrator is starting to understand his perception of the world. The line is not like the narrators other negative lines, because he is starting to understand how Robert feels.

2024-10-22 16:47:49 UTC

This is the moment where the narrator separates from his ideas and empathizes with the blind mans perspective. It shows the growth of his character and the importance of getting of of his comfort-zone.

2024-10-22 16:48:03 UTC

A feeling of solitude embraces the speaker, they are in their own house but they feel as if they are no where people believe that their house is a sanctuary and that is their only safe space so to feel out of place or on belonging is the epitome of isolation

2024-10-22 16:48:20 UTC

Within this piece we see the author full of jealousy as he sees the gender dynamics almost how an immature high schooler would. He almost identifies the man as a threat to his marriage and shows insecurity and discomfort due to their close relationship. The men later bond though without the presence of the wife.

2024-10-22 16:48:46 UTC

The husband starts to realize that, perhaps, his life is more, or less, then simply seeing. That one is not an outcast because of these differences.

2024-10-22 16:49:20 UTC

while the wife is more considerate and understanding of the blind man, the narrator feels threatened and due to their masculinity it takes a while to open up their hearts

2024-10-22 16:49:30 UTC

I believe in this line the narrator understands how the blind man felt then and understood his perspective of the world around.

tnguyen20252_1 — 2024-10-22 16:49:44 UTC

Throughout the story, the gender dynamics are rather apparent. This is due to the fact that the narrator sees the blind man as a threat to his relationship and can not understand the relationship between his wife and Robert.

ecalimlim20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:49:53 UTC

There isn’t too much focus on the wife after the blind man comes over. It seems like she served only as an introduction between the narrator and the blind man, but once they were acquainted she sort of faded out of the picture. It might be because her role in the story served to introduce the two characters as well.

2024-10-22 16:49:55 UTC

The gender dynamics in this piece are a distant wife and a jealous husband. The husband lacks security in the relationship and this is clear throughout the short story as his jealousy and negative emotions grow.

2024-10-22 16:49:59 UTC

I feel as if gender roles play a large part in how the narrator acts before starting to understand the blind man. The narrator is cold and defensive towards the other man, typical of how society believes a man should act in his situation.

It’s clear that the narrators wife has been intentionally described as nagging and irritating. She is described to grimace and become angered at many of her own husbands actions. This is possibly due to the cold nature of the narrator, displaying that women may be more sympathetic originally than men due to the competitive nature of this time periods masculinity.

2024-10-22 16:50:09 UTC

2024-10-22 16:50:10 UTC

The gender dynamics reflect traditional roles, with the wife portrayed as emotionally open and nurturing, while the husband is distant, insecure, and possessive, particularly uncomfortable with his wife’s closeness to another man.

2024-10-22 16:50:22 UTC

In this piece, it is clear that the narrator feels that women must act and look a certain way. He is upset when he hears about Beulah, because in his mind a woman should look a certain way, and the blind man couldn’t actually see her. He also treats his wife with little respect, and doesn’t care much about her past or feelings beyond the fact that he feels uncomfortable with certain aspects of it.

2024-10-22 16:50:27 UTC

The narrator sees gender dynamics very basically and surface level and this is shown their examples of his insecurity such as immediately sees the man as a threat to his marriage but being abke to have a relationship with him when his wife is gone

2024-10-22 16:50:34 UTC

The gender dynamics, specifically for the female, is that they are always big on talking, on making others comfortable in the man’s home, even that they should be thankful for that ‘mans’ home. And men should know everything based on what they have seen, not necessarily heard.

fhernandez20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:50:35 UTC

The narrator treats his wife like she’s crazy and doesn’t understand why she’s friends with Robert, and feels like their friendship is threatening to his own.

2024-10-22 16:50:37 UTC

The wife accommodates Robert well and treats him with respect, but the husband treats Robert poorly, constantly assuming that he may take his wife.

2024-10-22 16:50:39 UTC

The narrator is seen as insecure and jealous and not open to his wife having male friendships. On the other hand, the wife is very kind and inviting.

mmerla2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:50:40 UTC

The narrator’s wife is very much in charge of household duties, as a scene in the kitchen shows that she is cooking, cleaning and more. The dynamics are also present when viewing her relationship with Robert and the jealousy for the narrator.

2024-10-22 16:50:44 UTC

The narrator doesn’t bother to connect with the blind man even though the blind man is his wife’s extremely close friend. The wife had the role of making the guest feel comforted, cleaning his room, etc, which is shown as she is exhausted at the end of the story while both men are motivated and awake.

2024-10-22 16:50:47 UTC

The wife is more open and accepting of the ones around her while her husband is closed off and insecure. He sees Robert more as a threat to his marriage rather than a friend of his wife’s.

2024-10-22 16:51:00 UTC

The gender dynamics in this piece are very traditional. The man works while the woman makes the food. The wife is seen as a hostess for most of this story, and the husband treats her actions as being silly. There is a little less respect for his wife’s emotions throughout the story. The husband doesn’t seem very sentimental, he wants to shield his emotions.

kmiao2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:51:30 UTC

In this story, the wife is depicted completing all the chores and doing all the housework, while the man goes out to earn a salary for his family. It is specifically seen when the wife, portraying a typically military housewife, is exhausted from having to move all over the country for her military officer husband’s work, continuing to settle and clean up their livelihoods from town to town.

2024-10-22 16:51:40 UTC

The gender dynamics can be seen from the beginning of the story where the narrator sees the blind man as a threat and doesn't want to really communicate with him while his wife sees him as a friend.

tnguyen20252_1 — 2024-10-22 16:51:42 UTC

I believe that at the end of the story the narrator is no longer unlikeable. This is due to the fact that he begins to embrace the differences in the world around him rather being tied down to his ignorance.

2024-10-22 16:51:47 UTC

The gender dynamics in this piece signifies how a woman is more welcoming and friendly while the man begins to feel insecure due to the other man and also jealous.

2024-10-22 16:51:49 UTC

By the end of the story the main character shows massive change in his behavior. While his initial behavior and mindset were negative and unlivable by the end we reach a comfortable point. I believe this redeems his character in our eyes but it does not forgive his mindset or past action.

fhernandez20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:52:03 UTC

I would say the narrator does indeed have a redemption arc because he accepts Robert’s appeal to draw the cathedral and willingly puts himself in his shoes, leading him to understand how Robert feels being blind.

I believe he is still likable. Originally, he is shown to be irritable and unsympathetic. He disregards the feelings and struggles of the blind man and his wife because of his own nature. However, towards the end of the poem, through conversation and action, he finally lets go of his own ego and understands the blind man’s struggles.

2024-10-22 16:52:24 UTC

mmerla2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:52:24 UTC

But the end of the piece the main character seems to have had a change of heart as his perception of the blind has changed and his budding friendship with Robert has allowed him ti become a more likable character.

2024-10-22 16:52:41 UTC

Yes because even though in the beginning, the narrator states that he does not like blind people, he eventually finds that blind people are amazing by being amazed and in awe of Robert. So in the end when he doesn’t open his eyes to see the drawing and say”it’s really something,” it shows the character development and shift in the narrator’s personality.

2024-10-22 16:52:43 UTC

By the end of the peice, the character is still fairly unlikeable, but it is made clear that something about his experience with the blind man has made him more open minded. Although we do not see what he will do in the future, it can be assumed from the final lines about his eyes being closed that he wants to understand now, serving as a possible form of redemption which could be built upon in the future.

2024-10-22 16:52:47 UTC

I believe that the narrator is definitely redeemed because it is a short story. If the story were longer and this took place, I would not consider him redeemed because it takes extensive time to get rid of prejudice. But since the story is smaller he has a great redemption.

2024-10-22 16:52:51 UTC

I believe he becomes more likable and redeemed as he begins to visualize how life is like through another persons shoes. He becomes more sympathetic near the end.

2024-10-22 16:52:53 UTC

The narrator has definitely grown to be more accepting to Robert, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has grown more accepting overall. He still has work to do to better himself.

ecalimlim20251_1 — 2024-10-22 16:52:54 UTC

The narrator has come to terms with the blind man, attempting to explain things to him and then eventually drawing together, yet is still unable to connect with the man the way his wife did. It feels like his character has started a path of redemption, yet isn’t entirely done with it; he has still yet to apologize for the various things he has said and done during the short span they were talking with the wife.

2024-10-22 16:53:04 UTC

By the end of the story you can see how his character has changed. He was from unwelcome to learning how to accept others, he was able to see the blind man’s struggles.

2024-10-22 16:53:11 UTC

The main character does change in the end in a big way when he lets go of his ego and therefore I think to some extent the character is redeemed

2024-10-22 16:53:14 UTC

I would say he has a redemption and is able to have a different perspective and learns to accept the blind man.

2024-10-22 16:53:33 UTC

By the end of the story the narrator began to be likeable because he started to connect and talk to the blind man, bonding and vibing with him.

2024-10-22 16:53:45 UTC

I think the narrator does redeem himself slightly t the end of the short story. This is because he presents himself much different changing his attitude and outlook. And even ends up understanding the blind man a little more instead of just hating him almost unreasonably.

2024-10-22 16:53:46 UTC

There are definitely allot of gender standards that reflect both genders in this piece. There’s are roles mainly focusing on men. Men are portrayed as protective and somewhat afraid while Robert’s wife is more caring and more gentle to the blind man

2024-10-22 16:54:13 UTC

I believe it’s one step towards his character growth. It shows that he is willing to become open-minded and this moment most likely changed his view on his previous stereotypical beliefs.

2024-10-22 16:54:14 UTC

By the end of the story the narrator goes through change and growth, going from an insecure close minded man to a person who understands the blind man much better and becomes more considerate. Although he is still flawed he is much more likable as he has been able to learn and correct his former flawed world view

2024-10-22 16:54:17 UTC

In my opinion, no. The narrator is not redeemed, because one cannot change the entire structure of one’s living in a single day. This man has grown up seeing everything he could do, and the second a new person comes to that scene, a scene that is different then what he has learned, he is not going to change majorly. The narrator is getting there, though, at least he has a slightly new perspective.

2024-10-22 16:54:29 UTC

His hatred of Robert is lifted and he clearly does not see him as a threat anymore. They bond in the later half of the story and have a meaningful moment by drawing a cathedral together. This makes the narrator much more appreciated and tolerable.

kmiao2025_3 — 2024-10-22 16:55:12 UTC

By the end of the piece, the narrator learns more about others and is open to learning new things, allowing him to adapt and understand where the blind man is coming from. He becomes likeable by being more welcoming and friendly to the blind man, thus foraging a friendly relationship with him at the end.

2024-10-22 16:56:38 UTC

The narrator is and can be a likable character since second chances are very important and by this end we can tell that his wife’s actions have gotten to him

2024-10-22 16:58:31 UTC

“And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and they never laughed.”

2024-10-22 17:01:34 UTC

The husband is a bit bothered and annoyed with the anticipated presence of a blind man in his house, but he proved himself wrong and actually finds out that the blind man was good company. I think that the husband became much more open minded.

2024-10-25 17:22:59 UTC

A blind man in my house was not something I was looking forward too

2024-10-25 17:23:44 UTC

The narrator was very stereotypical against the blind man however and had a negative connotation against him before even meeting due to his disability

2024-10-25 17:24:07 UTC

I think it has how the narrator feels after understanding the blind man’s perspective on life

2024-10-25 17:24:49 UTC

There are the dynamic of the women doing the household chores preparing for the dinner and guest while the men smoke and drink

2024-10-25 17:25:43 UTC

I think the narrator is partially redeemed as he is able to understand and sympathize with the blind man after drawing however characteristized him in such a bad for simply being blind