rance to the genius of it. Robert enjoys his interaction with the blind man and his drawn cathedral. True, he is high and drunk at the time, but assuming hes coming down from the thrill of being intoxicated, Longinus would say that he has been thrust into a state of ecstasy. Longinus says, in Book VII, that you are transcended by the beautiful and genuine effects of sublimity which please always, and please all. Plato would say that Robert loses his senses and his touch with what is real, but Longinus sees this as an extraordinary and important experience. Whether or not Robert is chemically intoxicated at the time of his drawing, he is twice as intoxicated by the touch of sublimity. Robert, a man that appears rather dull and obtuse throughout the story, is finally brought to life. Carver demonstrates this through his use of language. Almost the entire story, narrated by Robert, is choppy and factual. It isnt until the end that the sentences begin to flow and emotion is interpreted by the reader. Longinus, in Book XLIV, describes an aspect of Robert that I assumed from the story. It is said, in Cathedral, that Robert rarely goes to bed at the same time as his wife. He usually smokes marijuana and watches late-night television until he falls asleep by himself. Robert seems disconnected from his wife and surroundings. His life seems boring and consumed, perhaps, only by his work and money. Longinus says that he cannot discover how it is possible that we who so greatly honour boundless wealth, who, to speak more truly, make it a god, can fail to receive into our souls the kindred evils which enter it. I only assume that wealth is important to Robert because nothing else is until the end of the story. The priority of money bothers the blind man as much as it bothered Longinus. The blind man, before he says anything about drawing a cathedral, asks Robert if he is in any way, religious. This is the blind mans way of finding...
