Cathedral: First-person Narrative and Narrator
Cathedral's True Meaning
"My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything. It's really something I said." This statement is said by the narrator of the story at the end of the story, where at this point you finally come to the realization of what the true meaning or theme is behind the story. Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, shows that you do not have to see someone or something in order to appreciate them for who or what they are. It is about a husband, the narrator, and his wife who live in a house. The wife, whose name they do not mention, has a very close friend who is blind. His name is Nick. Nick's wife dies, and comes to their house to spend a couple of days with the narrator and his wife. The narrator, whose name they do not mention as well, is always on edge because he does not really know Nick very well and he does not like blind people, but he is being friendly for his wife's sake. The story comes to an end, when Nick and the narrator draw a Cathedral together using the narrator's hand and helped by Nick. This story does follow typical dramatic development, which helps develop the theme perfectly. In the beginning of the story Carver, the author, gives you an idea of what type of characters you are working with. He then forms the rising action with conversation among the three characters. The climax is when the blind man, Nick, and the narrator begin to draw the Cathedral, which leads up to the resolution of how the narrator becomes changed and learns a valuable lesson, which is the overall theme of the story.
There are many things that make you realize what the theme is in this story. The first thing that brings out the theme is the point of view from which the story is told. The narrator, who is the husband, talks from a first person point of view. Although, we being the readers of the story learn the valuable thematic lesson, the person that it is
"My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn't feel like I was inside anything. It's really something I said." This statement is said by the narrator of the story at the end of the story, where at this point you finally come to the realization of what the true meaning or theme is behind the story. Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, shows that you do not have to see someone or something in order to appreciate them for who or what they are. It is about a husband, the narrator, and his wife who live in a house. The wife, whose name they do not mention, has a very close friend who is blind. His name is Nick. Nick's wife dies, and comes to their house to spend a couple of days with the narrator and his wife. The narrator, whose name they do not mention as well, is always on edge because he does not really know Nick very well and he does not like blind people, but he is being friendly for his wife's sake. The story comes to an end, when Nick and the narrator draw a Cathedral together using the narrator's hand and helped by Nick. This story does follow typical dramatic development, which helps develop the theme perfectly. In the beginning of the story Carver, the author, gives you an idea of what type of characters you are working with. He then forms the rising action with conversation among the three characters. The climax is when the blind man, Nick, and the narrator begin to draw the Cathedral, which leads up to the resolution of how the narrator becomes changed and learns a valuable lesson, which is the overall theme of the story.
There are many things that make you realize what the theme is in this story. The first thing that brings out the theme is the point of view from which the story is told. The narrator, who is the husband, talks from a first person point of view. Although, we being the readers of the story learn the valuable thematic lesson, the person that it is