At first glance, one might assume that Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" illustrates the awakening of an insensitive and isolated husband to the world of a blind man. However, this literal awakening does not explain the fact that the husband also awakens to a world of religious intuition, to which he too has been blind. The title and structure of the story are the first indicators of the importance of the religious thesis. It also reveals itself when you examine the language and actions of the characters in the story. Finally, Carver's earlier and later writings provide general background to the contention that "Cathedral" has significant religious meaning. The structural and technical features of the story point towards a religious epiphany. The title of the story, as well as its final subject, that of the cathedrals, inevitably points to divinity. As soon as you approach the story, without reading the first word of the first paragraph, you are already forced to think of a religious image. Additionally, four of the story's eleven pages (which amount to a third of the story) surround the theme of cathedrals. Beyond the obvious structural references to cathedrals and religion, the characters' language and actions present further evidence of an epiphany of divine proportions. . The television program the characters watch together is entirely about cathedrals. This stimulates the first real conversation between the narrator and the blind man. This presents religion as a sort of common ground, on which one can stand, even without seeing. When Robert, the blind man, first asks him if he was "in any way religious," the narrator states that he is not, and goes on to explain how cathedrals and religion "mean no... paper medium... ...the eyes of a blind man, but also appreciating the world through the eyes of a man of God.Works Cited/ConsultedBethea, Arthur F. "Carver's 'Wes Hardin: From a Photograph' and 'A Small Good Thing.'" The Explicator. Spring 1999. 176-178.Bethea, Arthur F. "'Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?'" The Explicator. 1998: 132-134.Carver, "Cathedral." Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1052-1062. “Insularity and Self-Enlargement in Raymond Carver's 'Cathedral.'” Essays in Literature Williams. “Beyond Hopelessville: Another Side of Raymond Carver.” Philological Quarterly 1985: 1-15.Verley, “Narration and Interiority in 'Where Am I Calling From.'” Journal of the English Short Story 13. 1989: 91-102.