Raymond Carver Neighbors Essay - 1975 Words

Neighbors Neighbors is a short story written by Raymond Carver in 1988. It is from the collection of short stories Short cuts. The short story is in brief about the married couple Bill and Arlene Miller, who lives opposite the married couple Harriet and Jim stone. Bill and Arlene constantly see themselves in the light of the Stones happy life. Bill is a bookkeeper and Arlene is a secretary, while Jim is a salesman for a machine-parts firm. In the story the Stones are going on a business trip combined with a family trip. Bill and Arlene are set to look after the Stones apartment, feeding the cat, Kitty, and water their plants. In the Stones absence Bill and Arlene show themselves from a side you normally dont experience from†¦show more content†¦Ã‚‘ We have a short precise presentation of the two people Bill and Arlene, but they could for that matter had been anybody. They dont stand out in any way and you dont seem to get an inner connection with them through the story due to its very minimalistic form. The story is very contemporary and modern, which means that we dont need any additional background information to read and understand Neighbors. The fact that Carver leaves most of it up to the fantasy gives the reader place to think. That is what characterizes this minimalistic way of writing and its the very thing that gives place for imagining. The interesting thing in the story however isnt the composition or the way of writing. The story hungers to be studied in depth. In Neighbors Carver gets a hold on a very underlying level of the human; that is so to say the way we are when no one else is aroundÂ… When Bill for the first time walks over to feed Kitty he acts completely disrespectfully towards the Stones. He lays some of Harriets prescription pills down in his pocket and he merrily drinks some of their whisky. When he returns home he gets the feeling of having left something back. He has this feeling because he knows it is wrong to sneak around in other peoples apartment and behave like it is ones own Ââ€" he is therefore nervous for his action that might be tracked back to him. He omits telling his wife about it, but the question is also if there really is anything to tell? HeShow MoreRelatedThe Idea, By Raymond Carver And The Death Of Justina1225 Words   |  5 PagesIn both postmodernism short stories, â€Å"The Idea,† by Raymond Carver and â€Å"The Death of Justina,† by John Cheever, the authors critique middle-class and suburban values. In the 1950’s-1960’s the United States and the Soviet Union were at international conflict, which caused th e Pro-American/anti-communist defense line in America. 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