Cathedral

The short story Cathedral by Raymond Carver was a unique story with a very intriguing ending. While I was reading the story, I thought it was just another boring tale about an awkward incident in the narrator's life. However, the last few lines changed that. I was left with an interesting final thought to ponder. I like stories where the ending is ambiguous and the reading is forced to really think about it.

This story definitely made me think. Specifically, the blind man went against some of my basic assumptions of blind people. I never thought about a blind man smoking before. Not only did I not think it would be feasible, I just never considered the possibility that a man who could not see would engage in a dangerous habit. One thing that crossed my mind when I first learned of the blind man's smoking was I wondered if he had ever been burned by the cigarette, and if so, how often.

Another aspect that impressed me about the blind man was his ability to eat his food without any trouble. I assumed using utensils would be very difficult for the man, but the story makes it sound like he was having no trouble whatsoever. Thinking about it now, it does make sense that he would be able to use a fork and knife so well. He likely has been using them all his life. Although, I still wonder how he knows where the plate is and how he is able to bring the food to his mouth without spilling.

One thing not mentioned in the story which could hold all of the answers to these questions is that it is never mentioned how blind the blind man is. Perhaps he is not completely blind and in fact is able to see a few blurry spots of light.

Drugs, specifically marijuana, are present not only in this story, but in Entropy by Thomas Pynchon too. This fact surprised me a little bit because the stories were written in the 1980's, not the 1960's. Not that drugs weren't still prevalent in the '80's, its just I always associate drug use with beat writing from the '60's. Also, the use of drugs in Cathedral did not seem to fit with the story. I felt that the characters did not seem like the type who would use drugs. Whereas in Entropy, each character more or less fits the persona for drug use. I attribute this to the detail of the descriptions of the characters. The husband and wife in Cathedral are not described in perfect detail, so it is hard to truly get a reading on what type of people they really are. Entropy on the other hand describes the characters a little better (it doesn't necessarily come right out and give clear description, but based on actions and dialogue, one can imply each character's physical description and personality.) and it is believable they would be involved with drug use.