Paper One - First Draft

(This is not only a "first" draft, but also a very rough draft. :)

Opportunity

Nearly every person on this earth holds a prejudice against another type of person. Whether it is an obvious and cruel one, like racism or sexism, or simply a subconscious dislike of a certain group of people, these preconceived notions and beliefs effect everyone. While perhaps simply feeling uncomfortable around a certain type of person may not be wrong, every person who has a prejudice will some day come face-to-face with a situation that challenges that feeling. He will have to either overcome his discomfort and dislike, and in doing so grow to become a better person – or he will act upon his bias, becoming more deeply entrenched in his way of thinking, and most likely hurting the other person. In the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator is presented with one such opportunity, and undergoes the beginnings of a remarkable transformation for the better because of it.
The narrator begins the story by revealing his apparent dislike for blind people, particularly this visiting friend of his wife's. The first reason for this is readily seen, and even somewhat excusable – ignorance. He quickly admits that his idea of blind people comes primarily from the movies, and even goes so far as to describe the stereotype he has formed: “In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs” (Carver 56). This shows that he has never taken the time, or perhaps never had the opportunity, to personally know a blind person – a fact he confirms when he first meets Robert, the blind man who comes to his house. His initial impressions are those one would have with any man, but he soon slips back into his stereotypes, expressing surprise that Robert didn't use a cane or have dark glasses on (60). This kind of ignorance can, in some cases, be excused as a legitimate reason to be prejudiced against someone. However, the fact that Robert has been friends with the narrator's wife for over 10 years, and the narrator has never taken the time to find out more about him or his handicap shows that he has chosen to hold onto this particular prejudice, and to remain ignorant.
A second reason for his dislike of Robert (or “this blind man” as he calls him) is jealousy. As the narrator shares about the close relationship his wife has with Robert, it is hinted at that he himself does not have this closeness with her. Robert has known her for longer than he has, and she seems to share every part of her life with him, the good and the bad. As her second husband, the narrator seems to resent this intimacy, and may even feel that this friendship has caused her to never fully give herself to their marriage or to him. When she and Robert are catching up on life in their living room, he listens “in vain” for his own name to come up, and for her to share about their life together (61). However, although he seems jealous of Robert, the narrator's disinterest in learning more about him shows that his jealousy is two-fold. Not only is he envious of the blind man's intimacy with his wife, but he is also jealous that his wife has someone she can share sher life with. She herself says that he, the narrator, doesn't have any friends (58). As the story goes on, his loneliness becomes apparent when he admits that he doesn't mind Robert staying up with him: “'I'm glad for the company.' And I guess I was. Every night I smoked dope and stayed up as long as I could before I fell asleep. My wife and I hardly ever went to bed at the same time” (63, 64). He is jealous of the fact that both his wife and Robert have discovered this secret to relationships and intimacy with another human, something he doesn't have. Unfortunately, rather than pursuing this sort of bond with his wife, or with Robert, he becomes defensive and responds by creating a barrier between him and Robert, using Robert's blindness as an excuse for his dislike.
But midway through the story, the narrator begins to change. It is subtle at its start – the first indication that he understands Robert's perspective comes when his wife is describing the deceased wife, Beulah. The narrator states, “I felt sorry for the blind man for a little bit” (58). But he quickly moves on to pity for the wife herself, the “normal” one. Then, the real transformation starts to occur. When his wife goes to sleep, the narrator is left alone with Robert. As they sit and watch the TV, he begins to try and describe what is being shown to his blind guest. When he starts talking about the cathedrals, he pauses. It is then that he realizes Robert might not even know what a cathedral is: “I stared hard at the shot of the cathedral on the TV. How could I even begin to describe it? But my life depended on it” (65). He suddenly gets a glimpse of how different the life the blind man leads is from his, and how insensitive he has been toward him. As he continues to describe the images on the TV, he starts to really care, trying his hardest to do a good job. When Robert requests that they draw the cathedral together, the narrator hardly hesitates. He, who only several hours before didn't even want “this blind man” in his house, now willingly sits down by his side. And once they start drawing, their hands interwoven, all else leaves as the narrator allows himself to be entirely immersed in the world of this blind man. He says, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” (67). This experience of placing himself in someone else's shoes was a new one for him. Robert's patience in leading him to this place was finally rewarded, as he chooses to keep his eyes closed and savor the feeling of releasing his prejudice.
The narrator, in only the course of an afternoon and evening, changes his entire perspective about blind people, and Robert in particular. He is able to do this because he takes a step outside his own experiences and views, and takes the time to see things from another's point of view. That is really the key to overcoming prejudices – putting oneself in the other person's place. Allowing oneself to let go of all preconceived notions and think of the other person first. The blind man presents the narrator with a life-changing opportunity, and the narrator chooses to make a change for the better, by getting rid of his bigotry and learning to accept others.

Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Backpack Literature. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 55-57.