Reactions to "Cathedral"

For once, I think I'll just discuss my thoughts and reactions to a reading rather than focus on anything in particular. After reading Raymond Carver's author profile, I feel like I shouldn't be trying to explore any deeper significance or symbolism in his stories anyway, not that that's a bad thing.

First of all, Carver's "Cathedral" defied my expectations at every turn. I can't be the only one who thought this was going to be a story about an affair between the narrator's wife and Robert, am I? And with all the tension between the narrator and Robert, I certainly thought the two of them being left alone together was a recipe for disaster. Instead, they actually develop a stronger connection while the narrator's wife sleeps. Maybe it's just me, but I think those expectations are pretty reasonable given the context, which indicates to me that it's not coincidental that my expectations were turned upside down, but rather an intentional effect Carver created. So I guess I am exploring a deeper significance anyway, but perhaps Carver intended to demonstrate that that's exactly how reality works. Things don't always happen the way we expect, so why should a work of realism be any different?

And while I'm questioning the significance of things after I said I wouldn't, I wonder what to make of the way the narrator and Robert begin to connect. They eat excessively, have at least three or four drinks (without going back to count, something like that,) and smoke a couple joints. I'm not sure what to make of it. Is that just the way it happened, no further explanation needed? Or is Carver trying to make a statement of some sort about that kind of indulgence? If he is making a statement, what is it? The fact that they become closer through that indulgence seems to point toward it being a good thing. But I hesitate to consider that Carver was promoting hedonistic activities. Was it perhaps more of a satirical portrayal? Was he scorning the fact that people connect through such activities rather than praising it? I just don't know. Carver is very good at just "telling it like it is," not interjecting his own opinion. What do you all think he was asserting through the way Robert and the narrator connect, if anything?

One last observation: does this story leave you hanging, or what? Does the narrator's perspective on life forever change, or does he wake up the next day and blame the scotch and weed for a weird night? How long does Robert stay at the house? Does the narrator's wife approve of their new-found friendship, if you can call it that, or does she continue to think her husband is constantly mocking Robert (that's the impression I got from her throughout the story, anyway)? The story definitely leaves you with at least as many questions as it does answers, which, I guess, is pretty typical of reality, actually.