Summary of raymond carvers cathedral

She showed it to the narrator when they started dating, but he didn't care for it. He admits he might not understand poetry. The narrator tells more of his wife's past. The man she was waiting for in Seattle had been her "childhood sweetheart," and after they married, they lived a military life as he was transferred to bases. One year after leaving Seattle, she contacted Robert, and they thereafter began to exchange the tapes on which they would tell each other their deep secrets.

They continued to exchange tapes as her life as an Air Force wife got lonelier and lonelier, until she finally tried to kill herself with pills. She ended up throwing them up, but used the occasion to pursue a divorce, which was followed by her dating the narrator. She once asked the narrator to listen to one of Robert's tapes. On it, he heard his own name spoken, a strange experience.

They were interrupted by someone knocking, an interruption which pleased him. The story jumps into its main action as the wife prepares dinner and the narrator glibly suggests taking Robert bowling. She begs him to welcome Robert and chides him for having no friends, "period. He asks her if Beulah was "a Negro," which makes her angry but also leads her to share more of Robert's past.

Beulah began reading for Robert the summer after she had left, and they were soon thereafter wed. After eight years of marriage, Beulah was diagnosed with cancer and died.

Summary of raymond carvers cathedral: A short summary of Raymond Carver's

He feels sorry for Beulah, "a woman who could go on day after day and never receive the smallest compliment from her beloved. His wife leaves to fetch Robert from the depot, and he settles with a drink in front of the TV until he hears the car park and his wife's laughter. He watches from the window to see her helping Robert out of the car and down the drive.

He is greatly surprised to see Robert has a full beard. He turns off the TV and finishes the drink, and then welcomes them in. His wife is "beaming" when she introduces them. They shake hands, and then she leads him to the sofa.

Summary of raymond carvers cathedral: Robert tells the narrator

The narrator considers making small talk, but only asks which side of the train Robert sat on. Though the wife think it a strange question, Robert answers it and says he had "nearly forgotten the sensation" of being on a train, it had been so long. The narrator sees his wife finally look at him, and he gets "the feeling she didn't like what she saw.

The narrator is impressed with how little like a stereotypical blind man dark glasses, a cane Robert looks. He does notice that Robert's eyes are creepy up close in various ways. The narrator offers to fix drinks and Robert says, "Bub, I'm a scotch man myself. They drink several rounds and talk, mostly about Robert's trip. The narrator is surprised to see Robert smoke cigarettes, since he thought the blind did not smoke.

After a while, they sit to a huge dinner that the wife prepared. Before they start, the narrator offers to lead prayer, which confuses his wife, until he says, "pray the phone won't ring and the food doesn't get cold. They eat heartily in silence, as the narrator admires Robert's proficiency with utensils and his willingness to use his fingers at times.

After dinner, all are stuffed. They return to the living room with more drinks, and talk more about the past 10 years. Mostly, the narrator just listens it's about what happened "to them," not him, he thinksoccasionally chiming in so that Robert doesn't think he's left the room. He is a bit contemptuous of how "Robert had done a little of everything…a regular blind jack-of-all-trades.

After a while, he finally summary of raymonds carvers cathedral on the TV. His wife is annoyed, and spins it to ask Robert if he has a TV. Robert answers that he has two — one color, one black-and-white — and knows the difference. The narrator has "no opinion" on this. The wife confesses she's tired and heads upstairs to put on her robe.

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That man who seemed like a stone, did expose his soft side. He was her childhood sweetheart, what more does he want? Robert seems to have it all — loving and meaningful relationships, complete immersion in what he does and an undying penchant for learning. Learning never ends. I got ears. We have great people from history and the present worldwide vouching for Robert on this one, and for good reason.

Cathedral is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy:. My guess is that you made a mental image of a cathedral, right? An hour? Cathedral, a short story by Raymond Carver, is an immense realization of this. Cathedral Short Story: Summary and Plot Analysis The story opens with the narrator mentioning a visit from a friend of his wife, one whom he does not seem to particularly like, considering that he is blind.

Summary of raymond carvers cathedral: The narrator tries to

Cover of Cathedral by Raymond Carver. The links to buy this book are provided at the end of this article. The film received critical acclaim and was praised for its faithful adaptation of the source material. Each adaptation brings something new to the story while staying true to its core themes and characters. The story, which explores themes of isolation, communication, and empathy, has been studied and analyzed by scholars and readers alike.

The narrator, who has been closed off and judgmental throughout the entire narrative, finally opens up to the blind man and experiences a moment of true connection and understanding. The final scene, in which the narrator and the blind man draw a cathedral together, is a beautiful representation of the transformative power of empathy and human connection.

It is a reminder that even the most closed-off individuals can learn to see the world in a new way if they are willing to open themselves up to the experiences of others. As they work on the drawing, the narrator begins to understand the importance of looking beyond the surface level of things. He realizes that there is more to life than what he can see with his own eyes and that sometimes, it takes a different perspective to truly appreciate the beauty of the world around us.

By the end of the story, the narrator has undergone a complete transformation. He is no longer closed-minded or judgmental, and he has a newfound appreciation for the world around him. This transformation is a testament to the power of human connection and the importance of keeping an open mind. The story is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator, who is also the protagonist.