Abstract
This paper talks about how the discussion of Carver's literary fiction almost always resorts to a discussion of his minimalism and how his fiction personifies that device (Trussler par.2). Yet, this fixation on his minimalist approach often results in his mastery of other literary device, such as irony, being overlooked or at least only minimally addressed, to make a pun of the oversight itself. The paper discusses how as researchers are quick to point out, there are many types of irony and the employment of this literary device has taken many forms (Reiss). However, Carver, in line with his minimalist attributes employs irony in singular ways that are characterized not by their variety but rather by their consistency. Instead of ironic variety Carver limits the majority of his employment of irony to the realm of verbal, situational and dramatic in a constant interplay of the simplistic.

Tags:irony, raymond, carver

Abstract
This paper looks at Carver's short story "Careful" and Carver's naturalistic or slice-of-life method. It also examines Carver's use of narrative irony and the title of the story as symbolic of the careless way the protagonist has led his life.

From the Paper
"The method Carver uses in Careful to portray the ubiquity and desolation of contingency that dominates modern experience is to present a slice of a slice of life. That being so, one is tempted to designate the story as naturalistic but Carver's language ..."

Tags:short, story, Raymond, Carver, Narrative, Soren, Kierkegaard, Freud, despair

Abstract
The paper shows how Raymond Carver's stories reflect his own life experiences and show a change in style over time. The paper demonstrates how many of his settings and situations can be linked to his real life and highlights the progression in the stories "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please," "So Much Water, So Close to Home," "Cathedral," and "Errand." The paper brings out how each of these stories, written at different times in Carver's life, has a different style and feel, showing his progression as a writer.

From the Paper
"Raymond Carver's stories reflect his own life experiences and show a change in style over time. As such, the stories he wrote also changed in flavor as his life changed. Whether it was his own struggle with alcoholism or his experiences working in a sawmill, many of the settings and situations in Carver's stories can be linked to his real life. For this reason, a progression is apparent in the stories "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please," "So Much Water, So Close to Home," "Cathedral," and "Errand." Each of these stories, written at different times in Carver's life, has a different style and feel, showing his progression as a writer."

Tags:raymond, carver, literature

Abstract
This paper explores the nature and style of Raymond Carver's simplistic writing as a way to further perpetuate the theme of rising above dependency and obsessions over materialism.

Tags:raymond, carver, elephant

Abstract
This paper discusses how Raymond Carver's "Elephant" is a story about the dichotomy of family relationships on various levels and its intimate and ugly implications.

Tags:carver, elephant, family

Abstract
Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral" from 1983 features an unnamed central character who narrates the entire story in the first person. This character very much sets the overall style and form of the story itself, both in his use of language and in the elements that he focuses on. This is where the story leaves us, and just like the narrator, we know that an important insight has been gained, due to the catalyst inadvertently provided by the stranger, but are unable to precisely define what it may be.

From the Paper
Carver's "Cathedral" OUTLINE 1. Thesis: The husband is the 1^st-person narrator and sets the tone and form of the story. 2. Description of three-character organization and priority of narrator's viewpoint. 3. Background information establishes nature and importance of central character. 5. Turning point and epiphany: the television show comes on, forcing narrator into action (describing images to blind man) and leading to

Tags:carver, short story, analysis

Abstract
An essay dealing with how community makes people- and how they make it. Specifically, this essay discusses Raymond Carver's famous work, "A Small, Good Thing" in his collection of short stories "Where I'm Calling From." The essay focuses on theme, action, character, setting and symbolism as way of assessing the ideal of community within the story.

From the Paper
Community as theme in Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good thing" We make up our community, and it- in turn- makes us. Such is learned in Raymond Carver's masterpiece "A Small, Good Thing" in his collection of short stories entitled Where I'm calling from. In it, parents deal with the sudden, agonizing death of their only child. How they cope with their son Scotty's death is inherently linked to how they deal with the other constants in their lives-feeding the dog, dealing with other inpatients at the hospitals, making phone calls, even buying a birthday cake. The characters step out of their designated roles to strengthen their community in "A Small, Good Thing." The parents are the axis on which

Tags:community, carver, theme

Abstract
The paper looks at how, in Raymond Carver's short story, "Cathedral", there are three revealing moments which establish and emphasize his theme that human insecurities and prejudices are in fact forms of blindness which inflict much more harm and impose far more limitations than physical blindness. The paper discusses the first of these moments when the narrator's wife tells him a blind friend of hers is coming over to visit, the second moment when the narrator ponders the basis of his wife's relationship with her blind friend, and the third moment when the narrator is transformed by his discovery that sincere communication is such a fundamental and rewarding human experience.

Tags:raymond, carver, cathedral

Abstract
Raymond Carver is a writer known for a distinct writing style and for certain themes. The paper explains that one of the things that is seen in many of his short stories is the lack of hope in the lives of his characters. Carver's stories are not ones where the character is saved by some miraculous event. Instead, his stories just describe the lives of these people and their ongoing struggle. The paper discusses how this theme is closely related to Carver's own life and the life of his family. It shows that it is this lack of hope that Carver portrays in his stories, not offering a sign that these people will rise above their problems, but instead focusing on the continual struggle of their lives. The paper discusses three short stories that illustrate this common theme, namely "Why Don't You Dance?," "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," and "Gazebo."

From the Paper
"The story ends without anything significant happening. The story begins with the lines, "In the kitchen, he poured another drink and looked at the bedroom suite in the front yard" (Carver 3). This sad reflection continues and there is no point where the man finds hope again. Even more significant is the fact that he watches the young couple. This signifies that the whole process will repeat itself. Carver implies that this young couple who seem happy now will ultimately end up the same as the man and his failed marriage. his can be seen as a reflection of Carver's own life. Both himself and his parents had failed marriages, his father struggled with alcoholism he eventually died from, and rather than his mother be saved from poverty, she was thrown into greater poverty by the death of her husband (Garraty & Carnes). This shows where Carver's ideas on love and marriage were obtained from, this story clearly showing that Carver did not believe that a marriage would ever last, or that anyone would ever be miraculously saved from their problems."

Tags:marriage, divorce, Duane, Holly

Abstract
This paper discusses Carver as a writer whose common themes are the basics of life and people's struggles. The author states that Carver's stories are largely autobiographical. The paper presents some of Carver's writings especially his short stories in his book, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love".

From the Paper
"Before considering how Carver's life impacted on his work, it is useful to give a brief biography of his life. Carver was born in Oregon to parents who both worked in low-paying jobs and struggled to support the family. Carver's alcoholic father died at age 53, leaving Carver's mother to support the family. Carver began working at unskilled jobs early in his life and married at age 20, already having two children to his wife Christine. Carver, like his father, began drinking early, developing the alcoholism that would continue for half of his life. Carver's drinking continued until 1977, accompanied by financial and marital problems. In 1977 he entered rehab for alcoholism. It was in this period after beating the alcoholism that Carver's short story collections were released. These included Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (1977), What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981), Cathedral (1984), and Where I'm Calling From (1988). Carver died of lung cancer in 1988."

Tags:basics, life, people, struggles, alchoholic, autobiographical, short, stories