Little Things Matter The general argument made by author Raymond Carver in his work “Little Things” is that pride overpowers. Everyone has problems, whether big or small people will face obstacles in life. The way they deal with those problems, if they decide to deal with them is up to them. The tone of this story begins in the first sentence. Carver argues that too much pride can destroy a relationship. Right at the beginning of the passage he describes the condition of the couple’s relationship. He says, “Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water.” In this passage, he is suggesting that the couple’s relationship is slowly deteriorating. Thus, Carver is right because pride can form obstacles in any relationship.