Although many critics have written many stories of Richard Carver's "Cathedral" as being about revelation and overcoming prejudice, they have neglected one very important aspect: the unfolding of the marital drama. The story tells how a close outside friendship can threaten marriage by causing insecurities, creating feelings of invasion of privacy, and worsening communication barriers. The close external friendship between the narrator's wife and Robert, the blind man, provokes the narrator's insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten long years. Over the years, they exchanged countless voice tapes in which they both told each other about what had happened in their respective lives. For this reason, the narrator believes that his wife has told Robert more than Robert needs to know. The narrator laments: “she told him everything, at least that's what it seemed to me” (1054). The narrator's fear is confirmed in some way when Robert arrives and says that he feels like they have met before (1055). The narrator wonders what his wife has revealed. This murky situation leaves the narrator feeling insecure, especially when he sees the warm interaction between his wife and Robert. The narrator's insecurities are revealed when it takes him almost five pages just to demonstrate how close the friendship is between his wife and Robert. It's as if he's justifying his irrational behavior or perhaps wondering if his wife might be secretly in love with Robert. The narrator assumes this because his wife only writes poems if something really important happens to her. He remembers that his wife never forgot that moment when Robert "touched with his fingers every part of her face...... middle of paper ......m. Ed. Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. 23-28. Carver, Raymond. “The Harper Anthology of Fiction.” Ed. Sylvan Barnet New York: HarperCollins, 1991. Eder, Richard “Pain on the Face of Contemporary Literature.” Review Ed. Daniel G. Marowski. Detroit: Gale Research Publishing, Inc., 1986. 103. Works consulted Robinson, Marilynne. “Marriage and other surprising literary connections” Ed. Roger Matuz, 1989. 276-278. Weele, Michael Vander. . "Raymond Carver and the Language of Desire." Ed Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Publishing Inc., 36-41. Yardley, Jonathan Carver's American Dreamers. Contemporary literary criticism. Eds. Daniel Marowski and Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989. 63.

Essay / Although many critics have written many stories of Richard Carver's "Cathedral" as being about revelation and overcoming prejudice, they have neglected one very important aspect: the unfolding of the marital drama. The story tells how a close outside friendship can threaten marriage by causing insecurities, creating feelings of invasion of privacy, and worsening communication barriers. The close external friendship between the narrator's wife and Robert, the blind man, provokes the narrator's insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten long years. Over the years, they exchanged countless voice tapes in which they both told each other about what had happened in their respective lives. For this reason, the narrator believes that his wife has told Robert more than Robert needs to know. The narrator laments: “she told him everything, at least that's what it seemed to me” (1054). The narrator's fear is confirmed in some way when Robert arrives and says that he feels like they have met before (1055). The narrator wonders what his wife has revealed. This murky situation leaves the narrator feeling insecure, especially when he sees the warm interaction between his wife and Robert. The narrator's insecurities are revealed when it takes him almost five pages just to demonstrate how close the friendship is between his wife and Robert. It's as if he's justifying his irrational behavior or perhaps wondering if his wife might be secretly in love with Robert. The narrator assumes this because his wife only writes poems if something really important happens to her. He remembers that his wife never forgot that moment when Robert "touched with his fingers every part of her face...... middle of paper ......m. Ed. Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Research, 1989. 23-28. Carver, Raymond. “The Harper Anthology of Fiction.” Ed. Sylvan Barnet New York: HarperCollins, 1991. Eder, Richard “Pain on the Face of Contemporary Literature.” Review Ed. Daniel G. Marowski. Detroit: Gale Research Publishing, Inc., 1986. 103. Works consulted Robinson, Marilynne. “Marriage and other surprising literary connections” Ed. Roger Matuz, 1989. 276-278. Weele, Michael Vander. . "Raymond Carver and the Language of Desire." Ed Thomas Volteler. Detroit: Gale Publishing Inc., 36-41. Yardley, Jonathan Carver's American Dreamers. Contemporary literary criticism. Eds. Daniel Marowski and Roger Matuz. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1989. 63.

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