What is it about a character that draws the audience to a story? Clearly their personality and what makes them unique comes to mind, but it's the trip the protagonist of the storyline makes and how the antagonist impacts them on the way that makes a tale interesting. In Raymond Carver's brief history, "Cathedral, " the narrator, who remains nameless, explains to the storyline of his wife's blind friend who comes for a visit. The narrator is a energetic protagonist that evolves over the course of the storyplot. The blind man, Robert, is his antagonist, and provides the protagonist a fresh perspective.
At the start of the storyline the protagonist seems insecure and jealous of his wife's romantic relationship with Robert. The narrator's better half shared a professional recent with the blind man, perhaps wished it was more, and they had worked collectively. They maintained a detailed romance by mailing tape recordings backwards and forwards, and the narrator believed uncomfortable about any of it. When Robert comes for a visit, plus they finally meet, the protagonist sets on a nice face and treats the blind man kindly enough, despite his uneasiness about the blinds man's romantic relationship with his wife, and his inexperience with the blind generally. His wife appears to pity Robert and will try to assist him and keep his hand, help which later Robert denies. The narrator jabs somewhat at the blind man initially, requesting about which area of the teach he rode on, angering his partner. The narrator isn't impressed with the blind man whatsoever at first. He observes the center older, heavyset, balding man with a beard and blank eyes that drifted about lazily. He is apparently nothing more than a blind old bum, and he wonders what it is approximately the blind man that pulls his partner so close to him.
The narrator's better half goes upstairs to improve, and he's left with Robert. He doesn't want to be left with the blind man, he feels unpleasant. The narrator then has a glass or two and smokes with the blind man, so when his wife comes back downstairs she sits between them on the sofa. His wife comes asleep and Robert and the narrator are remaining on either part of her.
This is where we see the most change in the narrator. He asks Robert if he'd like to go to bed, and Robert says that he would prefer to stay up with the narrator. The narrator agrees and says he's pleased for the business, he starts to like Robert. He was used to his partner going to bed earlier than him, and him being up as later as he could and smoked before falling asleep. They sit for some time, saying nothing to each other, just listening and watching the television set in place. The narrator attempts to make clear to the blind man what's taking place. When it program starts to show the outside of your cathedral, the narrator asks the blind man if he realized what a cathedral was. Robert says the narrator what he is aware of them, but asks that he describe one to him. The narrator commences to spell it out a cathedral, but gets the sensation the blind man is not actually setting it up. "I'm sorry, " the narrator says, "but it looks like that's the best I could do for you. I'm just no good at it. " "That's fine, bub, " the blind man says. "Hey, listen. I hope you don't mind my asking you. MAY I ask you something? I want to ask you a straightforward question yes or no. I'm just curious and there is no criminal offense. You're my number. But let me ask if you are in any way religious? You do not mind my asking?" "I guess I don't believe in it. In anything. Sometimes it's hard. You really know what I'm stating?" "Sure, I really do, " he said. "Right, " I said (Carver 66). Robert asks the narrator to get some newspaper and pen, he has an idea. Robert places his palm on the narrator's hands and asks him to attract the cathedral. He does this, and Robert continues motivating him, "Terrific. You're doing fine, " he said (Carver 67). His wife wakes up and asks what they're doing, with interest and a lttle bit of jealousy it seems. The narrator ignores her, and Robert says it's all right, they were sketching a cathedral jointly. Robert's side rode on top of the narrator's as he drew. They completed and Robert asked him what he thought. The narrators eyes were still sealed, he was in his house he recognized, but it didn't sense like he was inside anything. "It's really something, " I said (Carver 67).
