A Thoughful Reading of Carver

            First of all, I must mention that I enjoyed Carver's "Cathedral" quite a bit compared to the other stories. It was so interesting to me because of the internal thought process of the narrator that occurs while we read. It is so rare to find literature with a voice as unique as this. It turns out that our narrator is just your "average joe" who has some conflicts with the situation he is in. These conflicts are much deeper on the inside than what he shows.
             At first one might think that he is complaining, but really his narration displays those little thoughts that everyone thinks regardless of who they are. These thoughts might lead the reader to dislike the narrator, however, I can identify with the narrator in that I too could have thoughts such as these. In the beginning, he gives details about not his, but his wife's life with special attention to a man she had worked for and was close to long ago. This man, Robert, happened to be blind and he was on his way to visit the narrator's wife after a number of years of long distance communication via letters and tapes. His reason for visiting is because his own wife just passed away. Also mentioned is his wife's first husband who was a military man focused on his job. There are three things now running through the narrator's mind: he was the second husband to his wife (almost like he is second best), the now-single man from his wife's past is coming to sleep as a guest in his home, and this man is blind. .
             What would your reaction to this unfamiliar man be if you had these thoughts racing in your head? What if this man had had a close relationship with your own wife in the past? Of course you would be weary. One would worry in our narrator's case especially with his simple, yet depressing life. Being the second husband made him feel inferior or replaceable. Robert seemed to be high in status and wealth while our narrator was not. In order to know what she looked like, Robert had once touched his wife's face and neck! It was strange and special to her at the same time.