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Cathedral (Raymond Carver) 17711 Views


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Description:

Can you imagine what it would be like to be without the gift of sight? In "Cathedral," the narrator helps a blind man envision a cathedral by guiding him to draw one. Why a cathedral? Is the story evoking the importance of religion? Does the author think that cathedrals are the most glorious man-made sight? Are they just extremely peaceful?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:01

Cathedral, a la Shmoop. For those of us blessed with the gift of vision…

00:11

…it’s hard to imagine going through life without being able to see anything.

00:16

And yet, some of us with 20/20 eyesight still walk into a surprising number of walls.

00:23

In Raymond Carver’s short story, Cathedral…

00:26

…the narrator helps Robert, a blind man, to envision in his mind’s eye what a cathedral

00:33

looks like…

00:34

…by allowing him to hold his hand while he draws one on a sheet of paper.

00:40

Sounds like somebody was jonesing for a little physical contact…

00:44

Okay… honestly… it was a pretty cool thing that he did.

00:49

But we have to wonder… why a cathedral?

00:53

Since it’s the title of the story, Carver must have put a lot of thought into it.

00:58

What made him decide to choose this subject as his centerpiece, instead of, say… a willow

01:02

tree, or… a Waffle House? Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind

01:07

is religion. The celebration and practice of a religion is, after all, what a cathedral

01:13

is for.

01:14

Was Carver insinuating that this activity was a religious experience?

01:19

You might certainly argue that it was for Robert, who having never seen a cathedral,

01:28

suddenly felt as if he could picture it perfectly.

01:32

But it also might have been something of a spiritual awakening for the narrator…

01:35

…whose opinion of blind people seems to have changed in the process.

01:39

It’s going to be a while before he parks in a handicapped parking space again.

01:43

But then we think… if that was the case, why not just a church? Why did it have to

01:48

be a cathedral?

01:49

A cathedral is bigger and grander than any church.

01:53

When you enter one, no matter your religious inclination, you can’t help but be bowled

01:56

over by its grandiose majesty.

02:01

Was this Carver’s idea of the most glorious man-made sight someone could witness?

02:06

Maybe Robert was supposed to feel enveloped by his imaginary surroundings… and overwhelmed

02:11

by its size. Third possibility…

02:14

Cathedrals are quiet, peaceful places… is that the aspect Carver was focusing on?

02:21

Both Robert and the narrator were in a sort of Zen-like state when the drawing was finished.

02:28

In the silence, each man experienced a revelation.

02:31

Did they just need the world’s volume button turned down for a few minutes…

02:35

…so they could hear themselves think? What was the reason that Carver went with

02:39

a Cathedral?

02:40

Was it a reflection of religious experiences?

02:43

A place that inspires?

02:45

Or a hub… away from the hubbub? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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