Part one of term paper
The narrator in Raymond Carver’s Cathedral is not a particularly sensitive man. I might describe him as self-centered, superficial and egotistical. And while his actions certainly speak to these points, it is his misunderstanding of the people and the relationships presented to him in this story which show most clearly his tragic flaw ...

Part two of term paper
... Clearly, the narrator can not see past Robert’s disability; he dismisses him in the same way a racist might dismiss a black man. In reality, any prejudice – be it based on gender, race or disability – involves one person’s inability to look past a superficial quality. If someone judges a person based on such a characteristic, they are only seeing the aspect of the person which makes them uncomfortable. The narrator has unconsciously placed Robert in a category that he labels abnormal ...