Neighbors By Raymond Carver Analysis

Abdibashir ahmed
Professor Diop
English 102
14 March 2016
The Neighbor Analysis Does literature always express conflicts and contradictions? Conflicts and contradictions go hand in hand. Contradictions are when someone says something but does the opposite, Or as they say, “actions speaks louder than words.” Everyone has contradictions. Literature has a way to connect to people because it has a way of shedding light to the conflicts of people. Contradiction leads to conflicts, can relate to ones self or towards another individual that can eventually lead to conflicts. In the story “Neighbors “ by Raymond Carver the characters of bill and Arlene reveals conflicts towards each other. Bill works as a bookkeeper and his wife Arlene works as

Although the reader says they’re a happy couple, Bills behavior contradicts that of his neighbors’ lives by his actions in their apartment. He takes some of their personal items that he may not use. For an example Harriet pills, also he makes himself content by drinking their liquor. Bill became influenced by the first visit over to his neighbors. Bill’s sexual drive increased the more he went over to his neighbors. When his wife asked him “ what kept you?” he replied “nothing. Playing with the kitty,” “he reached over and touched his wife’s breasts” (139) because he wanted to fulfill the erotic desires he had at his neighbors. The certainty is that Bills career doesn’t give him the same pleasure that he seems to be getting from going onto and discovering the stones apartment. It suggests that bill doesn’t have control over his life. His desire to sightsee more takes over his

He went looked over the dresser and started going through the stones clothes. He took a few clothes out and started trying them on. He put on a “blue shirt,” “ a dark suit,” “ a blue and white tie, black wing-tip shoes” (140) as he was trying on clothes he was drinking. Seeing himself as someone else in fantasy world and living that fantasy mixed with alcohol brings him closer to being his neighbors. This shows he wants to be more like Jim stones. He kept looking at himself in the mirror maybe picturing how life would be or maybe if he was exciting or sensual as the stones. As he was trying on different clothes he opened the drawer and found panties and brassier. He tried them on and started looking for a female outfit. He put on more female clothes and shyly looked behind the curtain. It sounds like he didn’t want anyone to see that he was cross-dressing. Maybe he wanted to be like Harriet Stones because his behavior had changed drastically that he tried on Harriet clothes without wanting to be her. He noticed what he has done was odd because the way he put everything away quickly before the stones or his wife walked