Cathedral

The narrator is unhappy and annoyed because his wife invites an old friend who is blind to visit. She met the man ten years ago when she was engaged to her first husband, an Air Force officer. The narrator notes with irritation that the blind man asked to feel her face. It bothers him that the moment was so significant to his wife that she wrote a poem about the experience. When the narrator’s wife married her first husband, they moved away. She was miserable as a military wife and attempted suicide. Her first husband called for an ambulance and saved her life, but they had eventually divorced, and she had met the narrator. Throughout all of this, she exchanged audio tapes with the narrator.

The narrator’s wife says that if he loves her, he will welcome her friend. She tells him about the blind man’s late wife, Beulah. They fell in love and married, but she died of cancer after eight years. The narrator is appalled at the idea of a woman whose husband can’t even compliment her on her appearance. He wonders if Beulah’s last thought was that her husband had never even seen her face. The narrator’s wife goes to pick the blind man up at the train station and introduces him to her husband as Robert. The narrator is shocked that Robert has a full beard and watches bitterly as his wife leads Robert around by the arm. The narrator thinks it’s odd that Robert doesn’t use a cane or wear sunglasses, and he finds it unsettling that Robert’s eyes seem slightly off.

As the narrator makes drinks for the three of them, he is surprised that Robert smokes; he believed that blind people don’t smoke because they can’t see the smoke they’re exhaling. During dinner, Robert’s ability to find everything on his plate amazes the narrator. He listens as Robert and his wife talk after dinner, occasionally interjecting so Robert remembers he is there. The fact that his wife doesn’t mention him when talking about her life annoys the narrator. Robert asks the narrator some questions to include him in the conversation, but the narrator only gives short answers. Much to his wife’s annoyance, the narrator turns on the television. The narrator’s wife yawns and excuses herself to change clothes. Uneasy with being left alone with Robert, the narrator offers him some marijuana. Robert agrees to try it, and they smoke. When the narrator’s wife finally returns, she gives the narrator a dirty look for bringing out the marijuana but joins in as they pass the joint among them. After a while, the narrator’s wife falls asleep. Seeing that her robe fell open, the narrator closes it but then remembers that Robert is blind and opens it again.

Though Robert is drowsy, he says he will stay up until the narrator decides to go to sleep. The narrator tells him that he is “glad for the company” (200) and is surprised to realize that this is true. As they watch a documentary about cathedrals, the narrator describes the images for Robert. The narrator tries to describe what a cathedral looks like to Robert, but his words seem insufficient. Robert asks the narrator if he is religious, and he says that he isn’t, so perhaps that’s why a cathedral has no special significance to him. Robert asks the narrator to draw one for him so he can feel him drawing, and the narrator agrees. As the narrator draws, Robert encourages him. Then Robert tells the narrator to close his eyes and keep drawing. The narrator recalls, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” (205). Robert tells the narrator to open his eyes and look at the drawing, but the narrator keeps his eyes closed. He notes, “I was in my house. I knew that. But I didn’t feel like I was inside anything” (206). Out loud, the narrator says, “It’s really something” (206).