"Cathedral," is a short story written in 1983 by Raymond Carver.
an ironic tale told through the eyes of the narrator. The conflict in this story is the narrator's inability to see past physical appearances. The disability of the narrator's pollutes his understanding of what is important in life. After a visit by his wife's blind friend Robert, who has no sight but is still a complete man without it because he has an understanding to what is important in life, the narrator is able to reach some sort of insight.
The narrator starts his story by announcing the fact that an old friend of his wife's was on his way over to spend the night. The narrator's feelings of this are soon made apparent, by admitting that he is not enthusiastic about the man's visit. The fact that he does not know this man and the fact that he is blind bothered the narrator. "My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something to look forward to"(516). In addition to that he continues and gives the history of his wife's relationship with the blind man. It started with his wife, who was single at the time, answered an ad in the paper. The ad was asking for a reader for the blind. She was hired and worked for him all summer. At the end of the summer she agreed to let Robert feel her face. This experience influenced his wife in such a way that she wrote a poem about it. The poem was later read to her husband and he recalls not caring much for it. He states, "I just don"t understand poetry"(516). This implies that he does not understand the meaning his wife's poem. After that summer the narrator's wife married her high school sweetheart which ended in divorce. Through out this marriage the narrator's wife and Robert stay in touch by mailing tapes. These tapes are very personal.