Summary Of Raymond Carver's Cathedral
Raymond Carver, Jr. was an American short story author and poet. He was born in 1938 and died in 1988. He was married twice, struggled with drugs and alcoholism, and was an unsuccessful writer early on in his career. It was not until his publication of “Cathedral” that he gained success. Carver even believed that “Cathedral was a watershed in his career, in its shift towards a more optimistic and confidently poetic style” (Arciniegas). “Cathedral” starts out slow, spending most of the short story on the back story of the narrator’s wife and a blind man. The story progresses with the three characters doing mostly everyday things, eating, talking, and drinking. While this happens, the narrator’s ideas of the blind are challenged little by
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I know that many may disagree with my interpretation of Carvers “Cathedral” that the effects will be short lived, but I stand by my interpretation. Some will try to say that the weed had no effect by quoting the narrator when he said, “This stuff is pretty mellow,” I said. “This stuff is mild. It’s dope you can reason with” (Carver 1117). However, we know that the weed did have effects on the wife and the blind man. The blind man says, “But I think this is all for me. I think I’m beginning to feel it,” and the wife falls asleep while sitting in her chair (Carver 1117). Research shows that “When THC prevents anadamide from doing its job, the delicate balance between anadamide and dopamine is thrown off. The result: We’re suddenly euphoric, off-balance, ravenous, seemingly impervious to pain, and unable to retain information” (Breene). While drawing the narrator has an experience like he never had before, an experience that could be called spiritual. Many say this part is a hidden message related to the title, because his experience is similar to the feeling of walking into a cathedral and being swept up with euphoria. That euphoria leaves us when we walk out of the church and get off on the highway. While I admit there are events that change people’s lives, for better or worse, however this is not the case with the narrator and the will soon return to his natural personality and
I know that many may disagree with my interpretation of Carvers “Cathedral” that the effects will be short lived, but I stand by my interpretation. Some will try to say that the weed had no effect by quoting the narrator when he said, “This stuff is pretty mellow,” I said. “This stuff is mild. It’s dope you can reason with” (Carver 1117). However, we know that the weed did have effects on the wife and the blind man. The blind man says, “But I think this is all for me. I think I’m beginning to feel it,” and the wife falls asleep while sitting in her chair (Carver 1117). Research shows that “When THC prevents anadamide from doing its job, the delicate balance between anadamide and dopamine is thrown off. The result: We’re suddenly euphoric, off-balance, ravenous, seemingly impervious to pain, and unable to retain information” (Breene). While drawing the narrator has an experience like he never had before, an experience that could be called spiritual. Many say this part is a hidden message related to the title, because his experience is similar to the feeling of walking into a cathedral and being swept up with euphoria. That euphoria leaves us when we walk out of the church and get off on the highway. While I admit there are events that change people’s lives, for better or worse, however this is not the case with the narrator and the will soon return to his natural personality and