The husband in Raymond Carver’sCathedral doesn’t want the blind man over because he held negative stereotypes about blind people. This changed when he spent some time with his wife’s friend. Had some of his generic ideas about blind people been positive then he would have no objection. His change from the beginning of the story to the end clearly illustrates this point as will the paper.
Exposition is from the beginning until the old man finally show up to the house in his wife’s car on page 231 third paragraph. The rising action starts here because he is finally faced with the blind man and his own personal discomfort until then it was just an unpleasant idea. In the first paragraph the husband says, “In the movies the blind moved slow and never laughed.” (Carver 228). Why would this character feel the need to share this information to us, because it shows his limited grasp pertaining to his information of blind people. He felt the need to say something about what he knew of them the only thing that comes close to that is the line right after that, “Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs.” (Carver 228). This is the whole of information on blind people he could afford us; in the movies they do this and they have seeing eye dogs.
Rising Action is from page 231 third paragraph until the turning point on page 234 5th paragraph when he asks if he would like to smoke some dope. All these events are the husband being uncomfortable with the blind man and with the husbands limited imagination his ideas on blindness are being challenged and he is having to assimilate these ideas into his framework of understanding. “But he didn’t use a cane and he didn’t wear dark glasses…Fact was, I wish he had a pair.” (Carver 232). Now the husband is saying that he would like it better if his ideas of what blind people are supposed to be were met. Straight off from meeting this man his ideas are challenged and this makes him more uncomfortable because now he understands nothing, people fear what they don’t understand.
“I remember having read somewhere that the blind don’t smoke…I thought I knew that much and that much only about blind people.” (Carver 233). You can see that he is starting to understand all the things he held true about blind people are challenged, and he’s having to adopt things as they come. Not that it is easy going, but he isn’t having an awful time of it but it is hard going until the turning point.
Turning Point happens when the husband asks the blind man if he would like to smoke some dope on page 234 5th paragraph . There isn’t any going back from this it is the husbands effort to bond, if the blind man had said no the night would have ended there with the husband getting stoned then everyone going to bed. The husband faced with no information to go on and the absence of his wife, their go-between, he finally makes an effort to bond by smoking dope. “I’m glad for the company. And I guess I was.” (Carver 236) The invite to smoke is only part of the turning point when he finally bonds some when the man he realizes that he likes him.
Climax starts with the drawing of the Cathedral on 238 with page marker 115. Then ends with the line right before 135. Both men working together to create something and communicate to one another an idea shows that they have finally bonded and the husband is no longer uncomfortable. Instead of assuming something about blind people like they don’t smoke and is now asking how his guest thinks and feels, “Something has occurred to me. Do you have any idea what a Cathedral is?” (Carver 237) The he goes on to ask more questions. If they had not bonded which forced the final change in his negative set of ideas it would have never occurred to him that this man might not know what a Cathedral is. See how he didn’t reach in his mind for something he saw or heard about he just asked if he knew what one was or not because he knows or finally admits that he has no accurate information.
Falling Action located on the final paragraph marker 135 straight to the end. The husband finally gives his opinion on what is happening and shows how he has changed he is seeing without his eyes. This raps up the story right after the climax by showing the change in a very brief manner, just by what he is thinking at that moment and then he says one thing. The husband finally gives us something positive instead of something negative while he’s totally involved with looking at the drawing without his eyes he states, “It’s really something.” (Carver 239). He really thinks it is too.
The husband didn’t dislike the blind man because he feared what he didn’t understand, he disliked the blind man because of what he thought he knew. Once he found out these things were false he learns to accept and like the blind man. Armed with a new batch of information he will now view blind people positively.
