Distinct manifestations of narrow-mindedness give rise to conflict in Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" and in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie. In the first case, the conflict arises because the narrator is blinded by his own limited understanding of the world. He struggles to reconcile his ill-informed assumptions with the reality he finds himself experiencing, but ultimately finds hope and resolution. In the latter case, the constraints imposed by racial stereotypes leave the narrator lacking a sense of true belonging as a member of either culture in which he has lived. The isolation results from his conflict, which is not fully resolved in the story. Narrow-minded thinking, whether on the part of an individual or part of a broader form of cultural bias, can be a powerful catalyst for conflict. Close-mindedness takes different forms to trigger conflict in both stories. In “Cathedral,” the narrator seems to adhere to a worldview defined by superficial and media-driven ideas, taking a defensive or negative stance on topics about which he is underinformed. For example, in anticipating Robert's arrival home, the narrator admits: “My idea of ​​blindness came from the cinema. In the movies, blind people moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by guide dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Lawn 355) Once Robert arrives, however, he proves himself warm, kind, and capable, defying the narrator's expectations. Having dreaded Robert's visit, the narrator actually finds himself enjoying his company. The collision of his close assumptions with the reality he experiences causes this narrator's main conflict The source of the nar...... middle of paper ...... conclusion of the story, he expresses many wishes He. “wishes I had the answer” (Lawn 483) to the question of what would happen to his girlfriend and himself He thinks, “I wish I lived closer to the river…” (Lawn 483) and. “I wish I could sleep.” (Lawn 483) Instead of finding a hopeful solution to his conflict, like the narrator of “Cathedral,” the protagonist of Alexie's story resigns himself to his situation with little of hope of realizing one's dreams Narrow thinking is the source of the main conflicts in Carver's "Cathedral" and Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." The two stories take different paths to illustrate the cause and effect of narrow-mindedness and end with different implied outcomes for the respective protagonists. Yet they share a suggestion about the importance of narrow thinking as a catalyst for conflict..