The Character of the Narrator in Raymond Carvers Cathedral - Essay Example

The Character of the Narrator in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”
Raymond Carver’s short story, “Cathedral,” has three characters: the narrator, his wife and the blind man. As the three characters spend an evening together at home, Carver skillfully describes each personality and uses their interaction with each other to build up their characters. The narrator is the protagonist of the story and gives the reader a first person point of view as the story develops. The narrator’s character shows that “personality and beliefs may be revealed through his or her actions, dialogues or thoughts” (Kirszner and Mandell, 128). Carver does a brilliant job of building up the personality of the narrator and it is this skillful characterization which is largely responsible for the powerful effect of the story. The narrator’s character is effective because it is round and dynamic.
The narrator’s character is round. It is a “well developed character, closely involved in the action and responsive to it” (Kirszner and Mandell, 128). In fact, the plot of the story is built up round this character. It is the narrator whose actions move the story along. His character is “complex and fully developed” (Kirszner and Mandell, 128). It is clear that he is a good man, who loves his wife. At the same time, his character is flawed. He has a problem with connecting to people. His has several prejudices: he believes that Robert’s wife is a Negro: “Beulah! That’s a name for a colored woman” (Carver. 11). He has fixed ideas about the blind: “the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs” (Carver, 1); “the blind didn’t smoke” (Carver, 43); “I’d always thought dark glasses were a must for the blind” (Carver, 31). He is thoughtless and asks the blind man, “Which side of the train did you sit on, by the way?” (Carver, 26). The narrator is also jealous. He dislikes his wife’s relationship with the blind man and is also jealous of her ex-husband. These flaws make his character true-to-life and believable and “The reader empathizes with him because we know his strengths and weaknesses” (Kirszner and Mandell, 128).
The narrator’s character is dynamic. As such, his character “grows and changes in the course of the story, developing as he --- reacts to events and to other characters” (Kirszner and Mandell, 129). The narrator starts out as a very insecure man, afraid to connect to people. He is unfriendly and sarcastic towards the blind man, as he is jealous of his guest’s intimate relationship with his wife. As the story develops, the narrator confesses the emptiness of his life to the blind man: “I guess I don’t believe in --- anything” (Carver, 102). The blind man serves as the foil to the narrator: his “role is to highlight the major character by presenting a contrast to him” (Kirszner and Mandell, 128). In contrast to the narrator, Robert, who is physically blind, has a more positive view of the world. He is open to close personal relationships, as is seen in his touching of the narrator’s wife. He encourages the narrator to communicate with him. Slowly, the narrator changes: he admits, “I’m glad for the company” (Carver, 83). By making him draw the cathedral, which symbolizes life, the blind man makes the narrator realize that it is personal relationships which give meaning to life. It is because of the narrator’s interaction with the blind man that “His view of the world has changed at the end of the story and as a result his position in the world may change too” (Kirszner and Mandell, 129). As he becomes more caring and open to close personal relationships, it is to be hoped that the narrator develops into a happier character whose wife renews her love for him. Through his picture of the narrator, Raymond Carver proves that he is a master of characterization.
Works Cited.
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Compact Literature: Reading Reacting Writing, 8th ed.
Kirszner and Mandell. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. Page range of story. Print.
Kirszner and Mandell. Chapter I2. “Character.” Compact Literature: Reading Reacting Writing,
8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 127-129. Print. Read More