Platos The Republic: Book X and Longinuss On The Sublime both can be used to outline the end of Raymond Carvers short story, Cathedral. The actions of both men, the blind man and Robert, could be better understood in reference to Platos idea of the real vs. the imitative and Longinuss adaptation of the sublime. Cathedral, at times, seems to be written with these two authors in mind. Platos conversational, teacher/student style of writing is somewhat reflected at the end of Cathedral as the blind man coaches Robert through the drawing. Likewise, Longinuss passion for the sublime and appreciation of art is equally noted.Plato, in The Republic: Book X, says But the real artistwould be interested in realities and not in imitations; and would desire to leave as memorials of himself works many and fair; and, instead of being the author of encomiums, he would prefer to be the theme of them. The blind man, after receiving a lackluster verbal description of a cathedral, demanded that Robert draw the cathedral under his hands-on supervision. Roberts fumbling with the height of a cathedral was nothing but a worthless imitation of what the blind man supposed was quite magnificent. Plato, like the blind man, didnt see size as a pre-requisite to greatness and Roberts infatuation with the height of a cathedral was less than satisfying to the blind man. The blind man became the real artist when he took Roberts hand and traced what he could determine to be a true cathedral. Earlier in the story, the narrator explained that the blind man had done the same sort of thing with his wife when she read to him in Seattle. The blind man asked the narrators wife if he could touch her face. He touched every part of her face in order to get a true impression of what she looked like. Plato would say that the blind man was in pursuit of the true image of both the womans face and a cathedral. Another description of what the blind man was thinking when he...
