Sinara Isoyan
Expository Writing (Section D)
Instructor: Christian Garbis
Date: December 7, 2016
Analysis Paper
A Visual Experience of Transcendence
Cathedral written by Raymond Carver is a raw and straightforward story about the
relationship of a married couple and a blind person; however it has more than meets the eye.
Initially, the narrator is full of contempt towards his wife’s blind friend as he constantly scorns
the blindness. This whole idea is quite ironic, because the narrator is absolutely oblivious to his
own blindness, which is presented rather metaphorically as he is unable to see anything beyond
the surface level. The short story is essentially about transcendence, which is the existence and
experience beyond the normal and physical level. The title of this piece is the most significant
symbol of the entire story as when the narrator draws the cathedral towards the end of the story,
he is transported into another world and it is as though he has reached some sort of an epiphany.
At the end, the narrator is able to transcend. The cathedral drawn by the narrator represents the
basic notion of transcendence, because for the first time, the narrator is able to see beyond the
surface and appreciate the actual meaning that lies within the drawing, within his representation
of a cathedral. The difference between looking and seeing is prevalent throughout the entire story
and this difference is heavily emphasized through the two main characters, the narrator and the
blind man.
While the narrator’s world is quite unambiguous and dull, the blind man’s ability to see
beyond the surface makes his life creative and curious, and this is what accentuates the irony
between the one who can see and the one who cannot. The narrator’s utter detachment from life
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