Robert's Seeing In Raymond Carver Cathedral

In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” Robert’s “seeing” was used to challenge the narrator’s prejudice and narrow mindset. First, Robert quickly showed that his blindness did not hold him back from activities such as smoking and eating. The narrator is uncomfortable with anything that does not fit in the world he knows. He describes the blind man at first as “creepy” and his beard “too much.” At this point, the narrator only thinks of seeing as looking, rather than true insight. Robert’s seeing and the narrator’s seeing were also purposefully opposites. On page twelve, the narrator tries to translate what he sees on the television to Robert but there is an obvious disconnect, as the narrator says “I wasn’t getting through to him.” Robert’s seeing