In the short story “They’re not your Husband”, Raymond Carver describes the society in the 20th century by emphasizing the relationship between the characters. Carver accentuates the problems of Modern Society, as for instance the intern competition of the better life between people, by portraying the characters with a heavy use of contrast.
The main character has a function as a substitute for Humanity due to the fact that it lies in human nature to compare each other. Comparing works as a sophistication of the person in order to make the best out of the person.
Even though comparing in some way can be seen as a good thing, Raymond Carver sees it as a bad thing because it ruins the social bonds, which is an essential requirement in order to climb the social ladder.
The style of writing in Raymond Carver’s short story “They’re
…show more content…
She looked at Earl and waited, and then she put the unfinished chocolate Sunday in front of him and reached for the coffee pot.” (p. 107, ll. 26-28)
Earl’s façade can be seen as an opposite to Doreen’s as he put on his best smile in order to stand out as something special, where Doreen is the object that helps him achieving his goal:
“Earl put on his best smile” (p. 106, ll. 20)
Raymond Carver’s short story “They’re not your Husband” is about people’s intern competition of a better life, where the race causes external damages, as for instance broken social bonds. It lies in Humanities’ DNA to compete, but Raymond Carver sees it as a bad thing because it ruins the social bonds, which is a requirement for a person can rise to the top of the social ladder. In the clash between the target and achieving the target Carver emphasize the fact that people have to become less orientated on other’s opinion, illustrated by the main character Earl.
In the short story Carver underline the fact that it is not until we let go of worrying about other’s thoughts it is possible to live a carefree