The short story, “Cathedral,” was written by Raymond Carver in the 1980s. Carver is considered by critics to have a similar writing style to that of Ernest Hemingway and is known for his particularly bleak portrayals of working-class people confined in states of isolation. This is especially apparent in “Cathedral.” This story discusses the world’s stereotypes of those that are considered handicap and how these stereotypes can be largely incorrect. The story also depicts the pain of isolation and how the power of interpersonal connections can reduce such feelings. However, the theme that seems the most prominent in “Cathedral” is that one may be too blind to see the flaws within themselves but their flaws can be clear to an external observer.
