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Intimacy and Isolation
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cathedral, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The tension between the secular and the sacred is an animating force of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” the very premise of which—a blind man healing a man who can see—inverts a popular Bible story in which Jesus heals a blind man. Carver’s story often explicitly and implicitly references religion, which is how many people find meaning in their lives, but Carver argues that a person does not need religion to find meaning—spirituality can be secular, and religion is perhaps most meaningful for the community it provides.
Though religion can provide meaning, it has not given the narrator meaning, despite that the narrator seems to have tried religion in the past. For example, he watches television program on Roman Catholic cathedrals and says that the program is about “the church and the Middle Ages.” It is unlikely he would call the Catholic church “the church” if he had not been a member of it at one point in his life. Nonetheless, the narrator seems like he may be a lapsed Catholic, having been unable to find meaning from that theological tradition. His cynicism does not extend only to the Catholic church—when asked by Robert if he is religious, the narrator says that he is not and that he doesn’t believe in anything: “I guess I don’t believe in it. In anything. Sometimes it’s hard. You know what I’m saying?”
However, “Cathedral” presents an alternative source of meaning, suggesting that close human connection can provide a secular fulfillment not unlike that provided by religion. At the beginning of the story, the narrator proves himself to be a bitter and argumentative person. He fights with his wife and asks Robert, his house guest, rude questions. Eventually, though, Robert and the narrator connect during a television program on cathedrals. The narrator attempts to describe the grand European churches to Robert—a first signal of the narrator’s regard for Robert—and when words fail, the narrator draws a cathedral with Robert’s hand placed on top of his as he holds a pen. With Robert’s encouragement, the narrator draws in a frenzy. He even closes his eyes to see as Robert does and he describes drawing the cathedral with his eyes closed as an experience “like nothing else in my life up to now. This is undeniably a spiritual experience, and the narrator lingers in his moment of transcendence, keeping his eyes closed despite Robert’s request to open them to witness their work.
Despite that the narrator’s spiritual experience is a secular one, it is not completely divorced from religion, as it revolves around cathedrals, which are religious symbols. In a sense, Robert and the narrator build a cathedral together through their drawing, which echoes the television program’s assertion that these grand cathedrals were built over many years with the help of many men. Perhaps, then, the communal aspect of religion was a main source of its meaningfulness all along. If a “cathedral” can be seen as a space built cooperatively and intended for people to join together in meaningful ways, then it’s reasonable to see the narrator’s spiritual experience as a secular version of simultaneously building a cathedral and worshiping inside one, since the narrator and Robert share a moment of finding meaning with one another.
Related Themes from Other Texts
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The Secular and the Sacred ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of The Secular and the Sacred appears in each chapter of Cathedral. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Chapter
Cathedral
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The Secular and the Sacred Quotes in Cathedral
Below you will find the important quotes in Cathedral related to the theme of The Secular and the Sacred .
Cathedral Quotes
When we sat down at the table for dinner, we had another drink. My wife heaped Robert’s plate with cube steak, scalloped potatoes, green beans. I buttered him up two slices of bread. I said, “Here’s bread and butter for you.” I swallowed some of my drink. “Now let us pray,” I said, and the blind man lowered his head. My wife looked at me, her mouth agape. “Pray the phone won’t ring and the food doesn’t get cold,” I said.
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With his glib pre-dinner prayer, the narrator introduces the theme of the secular and sacred into the story, which has otherwise focused on the tension between the narrator and Robert up to this point. The narrator’s mocking imitation of the thankful blessing a religious family would say prior to eating a meal together, continues to establish the narrator’s generally shallow and sarcastic view of everything. At the same time, the moment communicates more than he intends. First, his wife’s shock at his fake prayer again captures the chasm between them. But also, the fake prayer, which generally falls flat, suggests Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Opt
Something about the church and the Middle Ages was on the TV. Not your run-of-the-mill TV fare. I wanted to watch something else. I turned to the other channels. But there was nothing on them, either. So I turned back to the first channel and apologized. “Bub, it’s all right,” the blind man said. “It’s fine with me. Whatever you want to watch is okay. I’m always learning something. Learning never ends. It won’t hurt me to learn something tonight. I got ears,” he said.
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The symbol of the cathedral emerges in this quote, once again introducing the story’s focus on the secular and the sacred. It is telling that the narrator seems reluctant to watch a program on cathedrals in Europe. This coupled with his referring to Catholicism as simply “the church” suggests that the narrator has previously had some experience with religion in his life, and most likely Catholicism. It suggests he used to have at least some religious life, which he has lost or left behind. And, regardless of what’s on the other channels, it is significant that the narrator in the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos
There were times when the Englishman who was telling the thing would shut up, would simply let the camera move around over the cathedrals. Or else the camera would tour the countryside, men in fields walking behind oxen. I waited as long as I could. Then I felt I had to say something. I said, “They’re showing the outside of this cathedral now. Gargoyles. Little statues carved to look like monsters. Now I guess they’re in Italy. Yeah, they’re in Italy. There’s paintings on the walls of this one church.”
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While watching the show, the narrator begins to explain what European cathedrals look like to the blind Robert. The passage implies that the narrator tries to hold off on describing what’s on the screen to Robert, with the implication that the narrator is embarrassed to so directly expose Robert’s disability. That the narrator can’t hold back, though, shows that his regard for Robert’s experience in watching the show outweighs his embarrassment. And it is this that begins to forge a connection with Robert. Robert, after all, isn’t embarrassed about being blind; he doesn’t even wear dark glasses. The narrator’s embarrassment, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo min
“That’s all right, bub,” the blind man said. “Hey, listen. I hope you don’t mind my asking you. Can I ask you something? Let me ask you a simple question, yes or no. I’m just curious and there’s no offense. You’re my host. But let me ask if you are in any way religious? You don’t mind my asking?” I shook my head. He couldn’t see that, though. A wink is the same as a nod to a blind man. “I guess I don’t believe in it. In anything. Sometimes it’s hard. You know what I’m saying?”
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This conversation between Robert and the narrator reveals a key piece of information about the narrator’s state of mind. As someone who likely had experience practicing religion and most likely Catholicism, the narrator now shows himself to be uncertain. He also shows himself to struggle with the issue of faith not only in religion but also in the world around him by saying he doesn’t believe in “anything.” Robert’s empathy and interest in the narrator have been present through the entire story, but here the narrator finally accepts Robert’s unflagging kindness and answers one of Robert’s questions sincerely and fully. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt d
So I began. First I drew a box that looked like a house. It could have been the house I lived in. Then I put a roof on it. At either end of the roof, I drew spires. Crazy. “Swell,” he said. “Terrific. You’re doing fine,” he said. “Never thought anything like this could happen in your lifetime, did you, bub? Well, it’s a strange life, we all know that. Go on now. Keep it up.”
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Here the narrator describes the process of drawing a cathedral for Robert, as Robert holds his own hand over the narrator’s in order to feel the creation of the drawing. The narrator’s previous efforts to describe what the cathedrals look like didn’t succeed, because the narrator was trying to share something that Robert as a blind man couldn’t access. But now the narrator has taken a further step, and has accepted Robert’s suggestion about finding a way that they can share and connect—and in fact they are physically connected, with Robert’s hand held over the narrrator’s. There is some sense Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque pla
“Close your eyes now,” the blind man said to me.
I did it. I closed them just like he said.
“Are they closed?” he said. “Don’t fudge.”
“They’re closed,” I said.
“Keep them that way,” he said. He said, “Don’t stop now. Draw.”
So we kept on with it. His fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was like nothing else in my life up to now.”
Then he said, “I think that’s it. I think you got it,” he said. “Take a look. What do you think?”
But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a little longer. I thought it was something I ought to do.
“Well?” he said. “Are you looking?”
My eyes were still closed. I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything.
“It’s really something,” I said.
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The end of the story reveals a changed narrator who marvels at the feeling of fellowship he has experienced while drawing a cathedral with Robert. Throughout the story, the narrator has shown himself to be a lonely and sarcastic person who has trouble connecting with his wife and Robert, but here he is fully in sync with Robert. For the narrator, this is a transformative experience and perhaps makes him feel a faith that he said he had struggled to feel earlier on in his conversation with Robert. Further, notice how the narrator closes his eyes and keeps them closed. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas.
