|
|
Post by travistoal on Sept 16, 2013 9:59:26 GMT
I want to Jersey Turnpike all over everyone in this thread. Except maybe Chris.
Yes, the story refers to the concept of boring Christ buildings and not specific boring Christ buildings and whatnot, but the message sent by that isn't that 'It's about *any* of them!' or 'Life is limitless!' or whatever inspirational summercamp wall poster slogans you can think of. After reading it, I'd like to say that 'Cathedral' isn't a noun, but an adjective. You know, one of those crazy adjectives that ends in an "al." 'Ancestral,' 'lineal,' 'cathedral.' While some people talk about how cathedrals are about beauty and togetherness and singing Kumbaya, I think Cathedral (capital C, adj.) rather refers to the triviality of life and effort.
In that sense, stuff gets real dark real fast. Buy this car to drive to work, drive to work to pay for this car. Cathedrals are massive, sprawling reminders of the uselessness of trying. Reminders that a man can start one, and he, his son, his grandson, and countless more who put blood and sweat into it will all die before it's finished, so centuries later their work will be praised as 'Very tall.' Others might think the narrator's embrace of the blindness in the end is his way of growing; I say the narrator's embrace of the darkness is his way of surrendering. He shuts himself out from his worries, his need to numb his senses (with weed at least), the need to actually see his sketch of a cathedral, so that he can live in the moment and enjoy the possibilities of imagination. Just like many generations of men shut out the knowledge that their work was meaningless in the grand scheme of things, that they would die leaving behind a half-finished tower as their legacy. The blind man is an allegory for man's futile efforts to make an impact. He sees without seeing, understands beauty but can't appreciate his wife's face, respects prayer but can't see the wonders built by the Christians. The narrator looks for happiness in the cathedral, but instead finds solace in nothingness. His wife tries to make beauty in poems, but never manages to write out the emotions in her heart. The blind man married a black woman despite a lack of encouragement, stayed with her through sickness, and in the end, she was gone, leaving him with a small amount of cash and no idea of what his love looked like. Man truly is a Cathedral animal.
|
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Harter on Sept 16, 2013 13:08:34 GMT
"The Cathedral" bears great significance to the story, as the symbol of the cathedral can be compared to the ability to see. Both cathedrals and sight are wonderful gifts that humans take for granted each day. The Husband does not initially value his vision highly. During the time he spent with Robert, he blankly watched television until his guest asked him to describe what he was watching. Upon failing to describe the cathedral, the Husband states, ""The truth is, cathedrals don't mean anything special to me. Nothing. Cathedrals. They're something to look at on late-night TV. That's all they are" (108). Like his vision, cathedrals aren't meaningful to the Husband, they simply exist. The abundance of cathedrals is talked about in the story, as they appear in Spain, France, Italy, and Portugal, all the same but also different in their own right. Vision is found in all the places cathedrals can be found, and is equally considered as commonplace. In particular, the cathedral is what allows the Husband to see life through the eyes of Robert, reminding the reader that humanity takes the most simple, yet wonderful, things for granted. Just because something is not unique does not mean it is unimportant.
|
|
steph
New Member
Posts: 13 
|
Post by steph on Sept 16, 2013 13:31:21 GMT
Abby and Betsy's points concerning the grandness and multifaceted perceptions of a Cathedral are absolutely correct, and I believe that Carver used those initial impressions in such a way so that that idea of cathedral later becomes less significant at the very end. When the husband initially begins describing a cathedral, it is with architectural ideas of a cathedral, it's significance in the past, and he fumbles with all the key words, such as flying buttresses, that make up a cathedral. There is, however, a point where the identity of a cathedral begins to be truly created, and that's when Robert stops hearing about the details that don't truly mean anything to him, especially as a blind man, and begins to understand something he cannot see. As the subject of the title changes, is given more depth and its true identity is represented on a piece of cardboard, so are the characters given more substance. Robert is initially, to the husband, the cliche of a blind man and the stereotype limits his humanity. Once Robert stays the husband recognized him as a person rather than a handicapped inconvenience. Similarly, the reader is given more depth about the husband. Beginning as this one-sided and completely recognizable idea of a coarse human being, perceptions must change as he so eagerly reaches for the pen and cannot stop drawing, the reader sees him with depth (such as the Cathedral was initially the grandiose religious beauty of architecture, it then became something relevant to an old blind man). I think that's one reason why it's called The Cathedral, because of the theme of transformation of perception.
|
|
|
|
Post by Anna M. on Sept 16, 2013 15:41:48 GMT
"The Cathedral" implies that the reading assignment is about a Cathedral. Luckily, the story is not about a cathedral but the students who read the substitute's writing on the board probably did not look forward to reading the story and were probably biased before they read the first line.
|
|
|
|
Post by hannahboe on Sept 16, 2013 19:24:57 GMT
It is interesting to note the connection between this discussion of the title of the piece and the discussion about character names. Names and titles are, after all, essentially the same in terms of their both meaning what you call a person or thing, as well their ability to evoke and image, memory, etc. by association. It has been discussed in earlier posts that cathedrals hold some connotations (or associations), both about the literal, physical building and also the religious/historical context of the building and use of cathedrals. "Cathedral" and "The Cathedral" each allude to different ideas: "The Cathedral" recalls the previously stated connection to the building and history, because of that one little word - "the." Because of this word, a reader immediately assumes that the story is about some particular (and singular) cathedral. I would suggest that "Cathedral" carries significantly less baggage, simply because it doesn't specify the singularity of the topic. Both the title and character names in "Cathedral" are significant in their associations. For example, while the narrator's wife calls Robert "Robert," the narrator refers to him as "The Blind Man." This is indicative of the preconceptions people have about certain groups of people (or things) and how we are more comfortable labeling them in general terms than by a name which does not associate them with their "type," for lack of a better word. But these preconceptions are more often than not misconceptions. True, Robert is blind, but that does not mean he can't "see" in the metaphorical sense. [Interesting to note that Robert has less preconceptions because he can't base them on sight.] By calling the story "The Cathedral," the substitute allowed the students to make an assumption about the story based on their preconceptions of cathedrals.
|
|
|
|
Post by samwerner on Sept 17, 2013 0:27:40 GMT
The use of "the" leads us to immediate conclusions that the simple title "Cathedral" does not. "The Cathedral," just like any other specific name, confines us to a minute amount of potential topics. By putting that on the board, the sub put a preconceived idea into the students' heads. Without "the," there is much room for questioning and potential themes. Mr. Parris wants to give us as much freedom to do our own thinking as possible. That means being as conscientious as possible in making sure not to put preconceived notions into our heads, and let us analyze and question on our own. The sub did the very opposite just by writing one extra word on the board. There is also a slight chance that Mr. Parris has a subconscious lust for total dictatorial powers and wished that he didn't have a sub so that he could maintain consistent power over the class, but it is highly unlikely.
|
|
