University Essay: Critical Analysis of Raymond Carver's 'Cathedral'

This essay offers a critical analysis of Raymond Carver's short story, "Cathedral." The essay explores the narrator's transformative journey as he gains a deeper understanding of empathy and human connection through his interaction with a blind man. It examines how the act of drawing the cathedral with closed eyes allows the narrator to break free from his preconceived notions and develop a more profound sense of insight. The analysis focuses on the narrator's evolving perspective and the story's themes of sight, blindness, and the importance of genuine human connection, supported by textual evidence and references to scholarly sources. The essay is structured around a thesis statement and three topic sentences, providing a clear and focused examination of the story's central ideas and their impact on the narrator's character development and relationships.

Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CATHEDRAL BY RAYMOND CARVER
Critical Analysis of “Cathedral”
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CATHEDRAL BY RAYMOND CARVER
Thesis Sentence Analysis:
“Cathedral” by Caver is indeed a transformational journey for the narrator to discover
the actual light hidden behind the world of a blind man. Rather it can be expressed as his
inward journey of breaking the stereotypical mindset and liberating his soul to understand the
realms of forming genuine human connections (Sadeq, Ala Eddin and Mohammed). Drawing
the cathedral with closed eyes indeed helped the narrator break free from his shallow ideas
and negativity towards the blinds which he had gained from movies. Holding Robert’s hand,
as he began to sketch the Cathedral with his eyes closed he went under a psychological as
well as a spiritual transformation which made him feel alive like never before. The narrator
gradually realised how blind he was, holding strong to his misconception and finally this
blind man Robert helped him visualize it and open his horizons.
Topic Sentence Analysis:
1. The narrator gains true insight as he began to draw the cathedral with closed eyes
and refused to open it even after Robert said he can. The realisation that the narrator gained
exposed him of his wrong doings like cursing and looking down upon blind people who no
doubt had a better and broader vision than him (Weise).
2. The act of looking under the surface helped the narrator take an inward journey of
awakening his soul. Holding the hand of Robert, closing his eyes helped him gain the true
vision which he had been blind to all his life. The disgust, the misconception, the anguish and
pain he had stored in him for years seemed to be liberated through his inward journey of self
realisation (Kita). The narrator realised that he has never felt so connect with any human ever
before as he felt with Robert while drawing the cathedral with closed eyes.
3. The narrator initially seems to be every disgusted and unhappy about Robert visit
their home as he was a close acquaintance of his wife and knew about her fondness towards

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CATHEDRAL BY RAYMOND CARVER
him. After his arrival the narrator kept on enquiring about why Robert did not have dark
glasses, or smoked cigarettes as he did not trust him nor initially enjoyed his company
(BANIFATEMI, Malihe al-Sadat, and Behzad BAREKAT). The main reason behind the
narrator’s reaction was that Robert actually challenged the pre-conceived notion of the
narrator and threatened his narrow mindset. It was after he drew the cathedral with closed
eyes holding Robert’s hand, he realised how wrong he had been all his life. It was indeed a
journey of self-realisation and self-awakening. It helped the narrator break-free his rigidity
and finally develop a strong human connection which he always craved for. This instance
will definitely bring positive results in this marital relationship as now he can easily accept
the fondness which his wife showed towards Robert and not look down upon him as a mere
blind fellow. Robert indeed helped the narrator to remove his blind which he carried for
years, which in turn restricted him in forming meaningful and authentic human connection
and receive the love which he has always craved for.

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CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CATHEDRAL BY RAYMOND CARVER
References:
BANIFATEMI, Malihe al-Sadat, and Behzad BAREKAT. "Cultural Context: A Comparative
Study of Raymond Carver's Cathedral and Ebrahim Golestan's the Stream and the Wall and
the Thirst." Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi 36.3
(2015): 1284-1290.
Kita, Viola. "Spiritualism in Raymond Carver’s Work." European Journal of Social Science
Education and Research 2.1 (2015): 214-218. Viola. "Spiritualism in Raymond Carver’s
Work." European Journal of Social Science Education and Research 2.1 (2015): 214-218.
Sadeq, Ala Eddin, and Mohammed Al-Badawi. "Epiphanic Awakenings in Raymond
Carver’s Cathedral and Alice Walker’s Everyday Use." Advances in Language and Literary
Studies 7.3 (2016): 157-160.
Weise, Jillian. "Cathedral by Raymond Carver." (2014): 122-130.