Review on Cathedral by Marge piercy - Book Report/Review Example

The cathedral is the story of an un d narrator whose wife worked for a blind man d Robert. Roberts’s wife had sadly passed and he was a blind man was coming to visit the narrator and his wife. The narrator seemed unhappy. This is because he had a view that blind people are always sad and very depressed. His thoughts about depression seem to be brought about by movies. On the other hand Robert and the narrator’s wife had a good response whereby they could communicate via tapes. It was ten years ago since Robert met with the narrators wife at Seattle during summer before she got married.

Soon Robert arrived and he was warmly welcomed. They had a few drinks and made long conversation as they watched a documentary named cathedrals. The narrator wondered if Robert had clear picture of what a cathedral would be. He tried to explain but lacked words. Due to lack of words Robert decides to give the narrator and idea to bring a pen and paper. Robert holds the narrators hand and they decide to draw. After Robert had drawn he asked the narrator to draw with his eyes closed. The wife wakes up and finds them drawing and can’t understand what they are doing.

The narrator likes the feeling and refused to open his eyes. The story tends to bring forth a number of themes that included: the difference between seeing and looking. The narrator felt superior to Robert because he had the ability to see. He also had the feeling that Roberts blindness could not make a woman happy. Motifs is also brought about in the story whereby, the wife preparing and serving them drinks to drink tends to bring about rhythm and brings the story together. Also when the wife wants to kill herself, she took a bottle of gin.

A symbol is brought about by the cathedral. The narrator had lacked words to explain how a cathedral he got the idea of drawing and after being told to draw with his eyes closed he never felt like opening his eyes since he found it to be a good experience. If the story took another point of view the narrator would not have taken consideration to the idea of closing his eyes and drawing. He would have seen it as foolish act since he felt to be more superior to Robert. Work cited.

Carver, Raymond. Cathedral: Stories. New York: Knopf, 1983. Print.