Author: jana352

What are your thoughts about the idea of ‘epiphany’ in relation to the story “Cathedral?”

It’s no secret that life passes us by everyday. Often times we are stuck in a constant loop living the same day repeatedly over and over again. It’s inevitable when life is more of a task than it is enjoyable. That being until we experience something new. Something that changes our perspective on life. Something so far out of our comfort zones that if we are lucky, will result in an epiphany. The word epiphany can be defined as a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way. Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” provides a deeper insight to this idea of “epiphany” and what truly happens to someone when they experience one.

“And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward too”  

This quote said by the narrator demonstrates a close-minded individual and an unwillingness to try something new. Before his epiphany, the narrator is initially out of touch with himself. He sees the world through a screen and fails to understands how it operates outside in reality. His personality radiates through this quote. Although the narrator in the story is not literally blind, he portrays a lack of insight and awareness which you can argue makes him even more blind than Robert. For example he pities Beulah because Robert could never look at her. However what he fails to realize is that Robert was able to connect with his wife in a non-physical way and understand her on an intimate level. This is something the narrator does not have with his wife at all, as he evidently makes no effort to get to know her any further. This is shown through his bitter jealous feelings towards Robert as the narrator immediately categorizes Robert as apart of his wife’s past.

The moment leading up to the epiphany that the narrator has happens when the blind man in the story persuades the narrator to close his eyes and visualize drawing a cathedral. With the blind mans hand over the narrators whilst drawing, the narrator experiences an epiphany where he could see more then and there with his eyes closed than he ever could with his eyes open.

“So we kept on with it. His fingers rode my fingers as my hands 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. ‘Its really something, ‘I said.”

The closing passage of the story details the epiphany that strikes the narrator at the end. It reveals a shift towards freedom from the narrators self confinement in his own life. In the quote it’s revealed that he reconsiders the meaning of sight since he leaves his eyes shut yet confesses to seeing something. The narrator finally realizes that he’s been trapping himself within the walls of his house and life, ignoring the greater freedom that’s always been available to him which its not having to be inside of anything. Through no longer looking at the life that surrounds him, he allows himself to open up and see a “greater world”. He can now see things beyond the surface in which they lay in.

Elite gymnastics was among the many constants in my life growing up that led me to new experiences, some that were out of my comfort zone much like the narrators “blind drawing” of the cathedral in the short story. One particular instance that happened on a no more than ordinary day of training resulted in me having an epiphany, thus opening my eyes and changing my perspective on how I saw things. I was working very hard on bars trying to achieve a skill known as a Shaposhnikova. The move consists of me flinging my body backwards from the low bar after rotating underneath, and turning half way during the transition from low too high bar. The aim of the move is to catch the bar facing forwards. It’s deemed a very difficult skill to achieve and master, and I underestimated its difficulty. The frustration was visible after many failed attempts, so my coach sat me down and told me to close my eyes, just like how the blind man told the narrator to close his eyes in the story. My coach then walked me through the move visually, and I went on a journey inside of my head on what the skill felt and looked like. Then, my coaches next course of actions was having me actually attempt the skill but with my eyes shut. He instructed me to go back on that journey of me doing the skill inside of my head however doing it for real this time on bars with his spot. The results were that I was successful in performing the skill. That ordinary gym practice had turned into a day where I experienced an epiphany. From that day forward, I saw gymnastics through a different perspective. I understood what it meant to go through the motions of a skill both physically as well as inside of my head. The way I trained changed, and my methods of achieving skills changed as well. So often we are caught up in the walls we confine ourselves too that we fail to see the bigger picture. Experiencing an epiphany was door opening and allowed me to think and see “outside of the box”. It was only then that my success and achievements meant something. Through an epiphany I was met with self growth and an eye-opening experience that changed my course of life.