Even with the fact that he is aware of his father's drinking problem, he feels that their relationship is stronger than his father's need for alcohol and that they are probable to overcome their issues as a result of communicating. Alcohol is actually one of the reasons for which Charlie opens his eyes and sees the horrible truth regarding his father. It is then when he realizes that his father cannot get rid of his alcohol problem and that it would be best for him to avoid ever seeing him again. Charlie virtually experiences rebirth as he sees his father drinking heavily and behaving aggressively. He realizes that this is who his father is and that this person is never going to change, regardless of the feelings that one attempts to induce into his mind. To a certain degree, similar to how Junior helps Gabriel realize that he needs to take matter into his own hands, Charlie's father assists his son in understanding...

Both Junior and Charlie's father appear to express little to no interest in their relatives and this is probably owed to the fact that they are familiar with the harsh reality of life and generally consider that it would be pointless for them to attempt to maintain relations as long as life is going to bring on suffering in the end.
All of the protagonists in the three short stories were somewhat aware of the problems that they had, but they were unwilling to accept them. The fact that they all came across episodes that made it impossible for them to deny their feelings had a strong effect on how they later came to perceive life.

Works cited:

Carver, Raymond, "The Cathedral"

Cheever, John, "Reunion"

Winter, Michael, "Archibald the Arctic"