Raymond Carver’s story “Cathedral” is a difficult work to find value in for some readers. On the surface it reads as a simple story about the difficulty a man is having relating to a blind visitor. However, the levels of meaning begin to stack up once the reader notes the details of the piece. For example, the use of the cathedral as a symbol seems to carry a great deal of commentary on the nature of religion.
For this week’s discussion please tell us what you think this short story is about. Is there anything symbolic in the piece that backs up your interpretation?
Include at least two quotes from the story to support your position. Follow the format below to build a response:
Introduce quoteInsert quoteExplain quoteThe narrator’s jealousy of Robert is made clear when he “use words from text which show this” (637). EXPLAIN HOW THE WORDS IN THE QUOTE SHOW UNEASE.The narrator’s own blindness becomes clear through _____. As noted in the story, “words from the text which illustrate the word you’ve chosen to fill the blank” (637). EXPLAIN HOW THE WORDS IN THE QUOTE ILLUSTRATE THE FOCUS WORD YOU’VE USED IN THE BLANK.Note: The book is “The Norton Introduction to Literature, Thirteenth Edition”Please answer every question. Thank you.
