Short Story Classics: Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Carver’s stories have this microscopic quality about them, depicting seemingly banal moments in characters’ lives in acute detail.  They are known for their focus on realism and their everydayness of life, spotlighting smaller moments to show their outsized significance.  

“Cathedral” is no different, opening with a couple at home alone and the narrator’s wife’s former employer on his way to spend the night as their houseguest.  The narrator is irked by the man’s presence, unsure of how to communicate with him.  This initial prejudice and awkwardness dissolve as the blind man and the narrator share drinks and conversation.  

Carver’s minimalist style draws out deep emotional truths from the characters.  Starting from a point of disconnection and ignorance, the man’s blindness becomes a fulcrum that creates empathy and understanding between the two characters.  The notion of sight is explored in a beautifully metaphorical way that speaks to its physical and emotional qualities.  In setting aside deeply held prejudices, we are capable of getting to know each other in ways we’ve never thought possible.