Short Story Reviews
In Cathedral by Raymond Carver we have the theme of jealousy, insecurity, isolation, detachment and connection. Taken from his collection of the same name the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man and from the beginning of the story the reader realises how detached the narrator is. Not only is he […]
Read moreIn Signals by Raymond Carver we have the theme of appearance, jealousy, conflict and separation. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and it is after reading the story that the reader realises that Carver may be using the setting […]
Read moreIn Careful by Raymond Carver we have the theme of change, dependency, alcoholism, moving on, disaffection, communication and paralysis. Taken from his Cathedral collection, the story tells of a man called Lloyd who has recently separated from his wife Inez. Lloyd is now living in the attic room of Mrs Matthews’ house and very early […]
Read moreIn Boxes by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, worry, powerlessness, mortality and apprehension. Taken from his Elephant and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and tells the story of the narrator’s mother moving back to California from Longview, Washington. The setting of the […]
Read moreIn The Third Thing That Killed My Father Off by Raymond Carver we have the theme of isolation, connection, conflict and guilt. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Jack Fraser and tells the tale of a […]
Read moreIn Neighbors by Raymond Carver we have the theme of freedom, escape, curiosity, control and voyeurism. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and very early on in the story the reader gets some insight into one of the main […]
Read moreIn the short story Vitamins by Raymond Carver we have the theme of discontent, infidelity, escape, paralysis and disaffection. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the first person and begins with the narrator (unnamed) telling the reader first about his ‘nothing job’ at the hospital and then about his wife Patti’s […]
Read moreIn The Bridle by Raymond Carver we have the theme of paralysis, escape, control and isolation. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the first person by a middle aged woman called Marge and it is interesting that though the reader learns a lot about the other characters in the story, through […]
Read moreIn the short story Intimacy by Raymond Carver we have the theme of memory, struggle, letting go and closure. Taken from his Elephant and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and though the reader never learns the name of the narrator, very early on in the […]
Read moreIn Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver we have the theme of identity, control, disaffection, denial, escape, paralysis and alcoholism. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man who is a resident in Frank Martin’s drying out facility. There are several story’s being told within […]
Read moreIn Fat by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, change, control and choice. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed woman and begins with the reader being told about a conversation that the narrator had with her friend Rita. […]
Read moreIn One More Thing by Raymond Carver we have the theme of opinion, conflict, violence, control, unity, powerlessness and alcoholism. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and begins with the reader being told that Maxine, one […]
Read moreIn Elephant by Raymond Carver we have the theme of acceptance, struggle, security, letting go and dependency. Taken from his Elephant and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story it would appear that Carver is exploring the theme of dependency. […]
Read moreIn Dreams by Raymond Carver we have the theme of identity, connection, ignorance, awareness, paralysis, love and loss. Taken from his Call If You Need Me collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and it may be significant that the narrator is unnamed as Carver may be playing on […]
Read moreIn Feathers by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, desire, silence, communication, isolation, gratitude and change. Taken from his Cathedral collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Jack and after first reading the story the reader becomes aware of the differences between Olla and Fran, even though […]
Read moreIn Are You A Doctor? by Raymond Carver we have the theme of identity, temptation and trust. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and begins with the main protagonist, Arnold Breit, while at home, receiving a call from a […]
Read moreIn Why, Honey by Raymond Carver we have the theme of trust and fear. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is written in the form of a letter (an epistolary narrative) and at no stage in the story is the reader certain as to who the letter is addressed […]
Read moreIn What Do You Do in San Francisco by Raymond Carver we have the theme of connection, escape, loss, vulnerability and denial. Taken from his Will You Please Be Quiet, Please collection the story is narrated in the first person by a man called Henry Robinson and the very first sentence of the story is […]
Read moreIn So Much Water So Close to Home by Raymond Carver we have the theme of doubt, disconnection, conflict, identity and isolation. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by a woman called Claire and it begins with Claire sitting at […]
Read moreIn Tell the Women We’re Going by Raymond Carver we have the theme of friendship, separation, change and violence. Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and begins with the reader being introduced to the two main […]
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