Raymond Carver Little Things

In Raymond Carver’s short story “Little Things”, he writes about conflict in the relationship of a man and woman, later including the two fighting over their child. Because of the little detail and background the author gives, readers interpret the story in many different ways. I believe that even without crucial details about the main characters, the relationship, and even the events that led up to the encounter, Carver includes important elements that trigger a response and connection to the reader in key parts of the story. These elements are loss of trust, domestic setting, and

One of the elements that are included in the story is a loss of trust in a relationship. In the beginning of the story, the author opens up the scene with the female character confronting what seems to be her significant other. Her first reaction starts when she finds him packing his things up in their bedroom. She repeats in a hurt tone “I’m glad you’re leaving” multiple times, even uttering to him that he “can’t even look [her] in the face.” The context clues from that scene indicate that either he or she

Many memories are created and filled in a home, but all aren’t always seen or shared outside of the home. In “Little Things” the house is what seems to be described as normal, with a few exceptions of gloomy winter weather. But the true difference is the reflection of the house from within, and it is how Carver writes that “it was getting dark on the inside.” People from different backgrounds can share what happened in their home and how it felt to live there. Being that no household is perfect, I think that everyone can recall a kind of “darkness” during their time at home. It could have been a time of separation, depression, or any kind of struggle that one could face alone or with others. The setup of the house can be portrayed through the reader’s personal vision of that kind of domestic