Character Transformation In Raymond Carver's Cathedral
Amanda Gazaway
Professor Macklin Cowart
English 1102
10 September 2014
“Cathedral”: The Importance of Transformation in the Characters
In “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver drastically creates changes within his characters that bring them closer together throughout each experience. The pertaining metamorphoses begin by being utilized as simple icebreakers but eventually commence an everlasting bond between the narrator and the blind man, Robert. Character development is important because it allows for a sense of realism and the successful creation of a theme of character transformation.
The first example of transformation readers see in “Cathedral” is when Robert takes his first drink. All of the characters in the story begin with a sober …show more content…
mind. Prior to meeting Robert, the narrator has a drink. At the very beginning of Robert and the narrator’s exchange, the characters launch their social hour with cocktails. “Let me get you a drink. What’s your pleasure? We have a little of everything. It’s one of our pastimes” (39). It is believed that the reason for the excess of drinking throughout the story is to ease the social anxiety that the narrator feels towards the blind man. According the Fairbairn and Sayette, conventional wisdom and survey data indicate that alcohol is a social lubricant and is consumed for its social effects (1361). The importance of this transformation is that Robert and the narrator begin to bond. The blind man becomes relatable because he also drinks scotch and smokes the marijuana that is offered.
In addition to social drinking causing a transformation, readers discover a transition from hungry to full. The characters not only begin to connect through consuming alcohol, but also through sharing a meal together. The narrator states, “We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn’t talk. We ate. We scarfed” (Carver 39). This dining experience when the narrator begins to admire the blind man and ease with which he ate. The narrator explains, “I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat” (Carver 39).
The most important transformation that is revealed to the audience is the final metamorphosis of the narrator.
In the beginning, the narrator implies he is close minded and insensitive. He begins by stating, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (34). (Insert fact about social awkwardness around people with disabilities.) The narrator implies also cruel by stating to his wife that he should take the blind man bowling. From the beginning of the short story, the superficial narrator sees people from how they appear on the outside instead of valuing the person’s inside. The drawing of the cathedral marks the climax in the story because it is when the narrator has an epiphany and becomes enlightened. He states with a different perspective, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” (46). The narrator is compelled to realize what it is like to truly have sight and also distinguishes how to relate with the blind man.
By constructing a theme of transformation, Carver is able to identify with his audience. People in everyday life change and evolve. They are all philosophically in search of a moral and meaningful life. In “Cathedral,” the narrator evolves from an indifferent, callous antihero into someone who is no longer restricted by the limitations he places on
himself.
Works Cited
Carver, James. “Cathedral.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. 34-46. Print.
Fairbairn, Catherine., and Michael A. Sayette. “A Social-Attribution Analysis of Alcohol Response”. Psychological Bulletin 140.5 (2014): 1361-1382. psycARTICLES. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.
Professor Macklin Cowart
English 1102
10 September 2014
“Cathedral”: The Importance of Transformation in the Characters
In “Cathedral,” Raymond Carver drastically creates changes within his characters that bring them closer together throughout each experience. The pertaining metamorphoses begin by being utilized as simple icebreakers but eventually commence an everlasting bond between the narrator and the blind man, Robert. Character development is important because it allows for a sense of realism and the successful creation of a theme of character transformation.
The first example of transformation readers see in “Cathedral” is when Robert takes his first drink. All of the characters in the story begin with a sober …show more content…
mind. Prior to meeting Robert, the narrator has a drink. At the very beginning of Robert and the narrator’s exchange, the characters launch their social hour with cocktails. “Let me get you a drink. What’s your pleasure? We have a little of everything. It’s one of our pastimes” (39). It is believed that the reason for the excess of drinking throughout the story is to ease the social anxiety that the narrator feels towards the blind man. According the Fairbairn and Sayette, conventional wisdom and survey data indicate that alcohol is a social lubricant and is consumed for its social effects (1361). The importance of this transformation is that Robert and the narrator begin to bond. The blind man becomes relatable because he also drinks scotch and smokes the marijuana that is offered.
In addition to social drinking causing a transformation, readers discover a transition from hungry to full. The characters not only begin to connect through consuming alcohol, but also through sharing a meal together. The narrator states, “We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn’t talk. We ate. We scarfed” (Carver 39). This dining experience when the narrator begins to admire the blind man and ease with which he ate. The narrator explains, “I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat” (Carver 39).
The most important transformation that is revealed to the audience is the final metamorphosis of the narrator.
In the beginning, the narrator implies he is close minded and insensitive. He begins by stating, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (34). (Insert fact about social awkwardness around people with disabilities.) The narrator implies also cruel by stating to his wife that he should take the blind man bowling. From the beginning of the short story, the superficial narrator sees people from how they appear on the outside instead of valuing the person’s inside. The drawing of the cathedral marks the climax in the story because it is when the narrator has an epiphany and becomes enlightened. He states with a different perspective, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” (46). The narrator is compelled to realize what it is like to truly have sight and also distinguishes how to relate with the blind man.
By constructing a theme of transformation, Carver is able to identify with his audience. People in everyday life change and evolve. They are all philosophically in search of a moral and meaningful life. In “Cathedral,” the narrator evolves from an indifferent, callous antihero into someone who is no longer restricted by the limitations he places on
himself.
Works Cited
Carver, James. “Cathedral.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014. 34-46. Print.
Fairbairn, Catherine., and Michael A. Sayette. “A Social-Attribution Analysis of Alcohol Response”. Psychological Bulletin 140.5 (2014): 1361-1382. psycARTICLES. Web. 17 Sept. 2014.