Man’s Inner Self: Analysis of the Narrator in “Cathedral” Many remember the quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Readers often think the protagonist is the hero in short stories because the protagonist is the main and central character. However, this assumption does not always ring true in short stories. The protagonist may sometimes be an antihero, depending on his or her lack of a few usual attributes exhibited by a traditional hero. “Cathedral” was written by Raymond Carver. The narrator is an unnamed man who meets Robert, a blind man and an old friend of the narrator’s wife who spent the night at the narrator’s home. The narrator was not enthusiastic about Robert’s visit because Robert was blind, and Robert’s disability did not appeal to the narrator. Throughout the story, the narrator tried to understand Robert and his blindness but failed, which led to awkwardness. In the end, they became friends with one another, and the narrator finally understood his own blindness. Due to the characteristics of this story, the narrator is the antihero, and Robert, is the hero; yet, the narrator changed from a static character to a dynamic character due to seeing his own inner self. The narrator presents antihero characteristics and is not a hero in the story because he is an ordinary, inglorious man, who is extremely jealous and close-minded toward Robert. The
