English 2204 / Summer 2008 / Quiz 4

Possible Themes for Carver's "Cathedral"

(4- or 5-point answers)

1.) "You don't know how things are until you see it through someone else's eyes." Bub gets to see what the blind man sees when the blind man has him close his eyes and helped him trace a drawing of a cathedral.

2.) One's view may possibly change as they gain more knowledge. In the story, "Bub" was a very stereotyping jerk who had many ideas of how the blind man would be. As he spends time with him, Robert breaks many of his views and "Bub" even accepts him towards the end. Could be a struggle of selfishness vs. kindheartedness.

3.) One possible theme for the story "Cathedral" might be although you are blind you may see clearer than anyone else (or the exact opposite). I think the blind man was the one who taught the husband a lesson (not the other way around).

4.) Blind people are not completely blind, they can "see" things. While drawing a cathedral, Robert puts his hand over the husband's, who is drawing the cathedral.

5.) Don't always judge a book from its cover. The husband's eyes are opened to a different side of what a blind man should look or do.

6.) Life and people are not always how you perceive them. You may learn something from someone you've never quite known before. Bub learned that a blind man in his home is not how most are perceived through stereotyping.

7.) The theme could be not to judge people before knowing them. It seems "Bub" learns a lesson in this and even broadens his own perspective.

8.) The fact that you can see with your eyes is different from seeing it with your heart. Although "Bub" in the story, he is not blind, but when he was asked to describe the cathedral, he couldn't. But when he closed his eyes and started drawing it. He realized how much he missed before.

9.) There are different ways of seeing. In the end "Bub" sees Robert differently than he did in the beginning. He doesn't see him as his stereotypical blind man.