At first glance, one might assume that Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" illustrates the awakening of a callous and isolated husband to the world of a blind man. However, this literal awakening ignores the fact that the husband is also awakening to a world of religious insight, to which he has also been blind. The title and structure of the story are the first indicators of the importance of the religious thesis. This is also revealed when we examine the language and actions of the characters in the story. Finally, Carver's earlier and later writings provide general context for the argument that the "Cathedral" has significant religious significance. The structural and technical features of the story point toward a religious epiphany. The title of the story, as well as its possible subject, that of cathedrals, inevitably refers to divinity. From the first approach to the story, without reading the first word of the first paragraph, we are already forced to think of a religious image. In addition, four of the eleven pages of the story (i.e. a third of the story) address the subject of cathedrals. In addition to the obvious structural references to cathedrals and religion, the language and actions of the characters present further evidence of an epiphany of divine proportions. . The television program that the characters watch together is entirely about cathedrals. This sparks the first real conversation between the narrator and the blind man. This presents religion as a form of common ground on which everyone can stand, even without sight. When blind Robert first asks him if he was "in any way religious", the narrator states that he is not, and goes on to explain how cathedrals and religion "mean nothing...... middle of paper ... the eyes of a blind man, but also to appreciate the world through the eyes of a man of God. Works Cited/Viewed Bethea, Arthur F. Carver's "Wes Hardin: From a Photograph 'A Little Good Thing.'" The Explanator. Spring 1999. 176-178. Bethea, Arthur F. "Will You Shut Up, S' Do you like it, by Carver?'" The Explanator. Spring 1998: 132-134. Carver, Raymond. "Cathedral." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1052-1062. Nesset , Kirk. “Insularity and self-enlargement in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral.” » Literary essays. March 22, 1994: 116. Stull Williams. “Beyond Hopelessville: Another Side of Raymond Carver.” » Philological Quarterly, 1985: 1-15. Verley, Claudine. “Narration and interiority in “Where I Call From” by Raymond Carver. the news in English 13. 1989: 91-102.