In Raymond Carver's Cathedral “appear... extreme versions of insularity, from the self-imposed confinement of a husband in a living room in “Preservation” to the pathetic reluctance of another to leave an attic in “Attention” (Meyer). One of Carver's main goals in Cathedral is to criticize people who fail, in one way or another, to communicate with society. In almost every short story, the main character suffers from insularity due to a horrible event in his or her life, alcoholism, or a lack of consideration for the thoughts and feelings of others. The stories “Beware,” “Preservation,” “Cathedral,” and “The Compartment” easily represent the theme of the novel as a whole, which is the inability to relate to others. Each of these stories shows a slightly different degree of affliction, circumstances, and character types, making the entire novel effective for a wide audience. Carver wants people to stop thinking that “[losing the ability to interact with others] is something that happens to other people” (Carver 25). On the surface, "Careful" is a simple story of a man, Lloyd, whose wife, Inez, left him because of his drinking problems. Lloyd also has hearing problems due to an earwax problem; However, this man has a lot more problems than it seems at first glance. Lloyd has alcohol problems and an inability to listen to others, which isolates him from others. These problems persist throughout the novel. “One morning, [Lloyd] woke up and immediately started eating crumb donuts and drinking champagne. There was a time, a few years ago, when you would have laughed over a breakfast like this. A double meaning seems to exist here. First, the reader learns that a change has occurred in the protagonist that has fundamentally changed him. The ...... middle of paper ...... has lost the ability to communicate with others in addition to his ability to connect with others. Carver believes that communication between individuals is essential to the existence of lasting relationships – which is absolutely true. This is why Carver emphasizes communication in so many of his stories: "Preservation", "The Compartment", "A Little Good Thing", "Vitamins", "Beware", "Where I'm Calling From" and “Cathedral”. » Ultimately, Meyer confirms the reader's suspicions that his condition is irreversible. "Due to a last minute change of heart, Meyers chooses to remain isolated in his "compartment" and, remaining on the train, reneges on his promise to the boy, blocking out everything outside his selfish world, including paternal obligation” (Meyer). The way “something hooked and clicked into place” (Carver, 57) symbolizes the permanence of Meyers' psychosis..