Epiphanies in Cathedral

In the story, "Cathedral", by Raymond Carver, the ending may first appear to be a moment of transcendent clarity of insight for the narrator. Initially, the narrator is portrayed as an inarticulate and insensitive character. Through his interactions and communication with Robert, the narrator learns to face his insecurities and see without his eyes through a deeper significance. The vague ending illuminates upon this theme of his apparent epiphany of dramatic self-discovery, but close analysis reveals some problems to this epiphany.

The narrator begins as an ignorant and inarticulate character that is jealous of the mutual deeper understanding shared between his wife and the blind man, Robert. His lack of insight and sensitivity is shown through his communication with his wife and perceptions of Robert. His blunt questions of "Was [Robert's] wife a Negro?" (Carver 94) and asking Robert "Which side of the train did you sit on?" (Carver 95) reinforce his insensitivity towards Robert. Despite knowing Robert's name, the narrator's references to Robert as "this blind man" (Carver 92) or "the blind man" (Carver 93) shows that the husband perceives him as a disability with little human attributes. The narrator's ignorance for the blind is illustrated in his beliefs that "dark glasses were a must for blind people" (Carver 95). He also lacks the communicational skills needed to understand his wife on an emotional basis. He makes little effort to please his wife's desire to welcome Robert and jokingly suggests that "Maybe [he] could take [Robert] bowling" (Carver 93). He describes Beulah, Robert's deceased wife, as leading a "pitiful" life since "she could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved ones" (Carver 94). Unable to see past the superficiality of relationships, the narrator is unaware that Robert is able to understand Beulah emotionally. Paradoxically, this makes the narrator blinder than Robert; he is unable look past others' appearances and disabilities to understand them intimately. In addition, the husband's inarticulate and terse nature implicates his image of ignorance and insensitivity. He describes the romantic sharing of a twenty-peso Mexican coin between Robert and Beulah in a single, blunt word, "pathetic" (Carver 94). In paragraph 45, the narrator begins the first eight curt and cursory sentences with "we", showing his disinterest during dinner.

The narrator's change in attitude towards Robert becomes a catalyst for his own change in character and self-awareness. This is first noted when he "watched with admiration as [Robert] used his knife and fork on the meat" (Carver 96). The husband begins to see past Robert's disability and is able to recognize Robert's abilities despite being blind. When Robert asks the husband to describe