Shannon Raymond Carver's "Cathedral"

This is a short story that is told majorly from the eyes of a character referred to here as 'Bub' who is a husband to a woman who had a blind friend, Robert who comes to visit and the visit turns out to be a self search time for Bub and great revelation period for him.

The story employs strong use of symbolism as well as motifs to present the themes and the change of state of the mind of Bub as well as the mental disposition of Bub's wife. There is also exposition of the significance of some styles to the development of themes as well as the flow of the story.

The predominating theme of the story is self-reflection/search and sight verses vision. It is apparent that even though the Bub lives with the wife, he does not understand her needs and...

Robert, who is blind and despised by Bub from the onset through the negative comments and descriptions, understands Bub's wife better than Bub. Indeed Bub was amazed at the level of conversations and the interactions that his wife and Robert had in total lack of understanding, he says "She was still wearing a smile. Just amazing. She went around to the other side of the car to where the blind man was already starting to get out…. Too much, I say…. My wife took his arm, shut the car door, and, talking all the way, moved him down the drive and then up the steps to the front porch" (Carver 356). The narrator was amazed at the level of interaction between the two, a thing that did not exist between him and the wife.
The wife exchange innumerable audio tapes with the blind man…