Analysis of the Story: Neighbors by Raymond Carver - Research Paper Example

Analysis of ‘Neighbors’ by Raymond Carver Raymond carver wrote the short story ‘neighbors’ in 1988. The story is one of the several short stories credited to Carver. ‘Neighbors’ stands out among the rest because it highlights the real image of how neighbors can behave when nobody is watching. The story surrounds what transpires when the Stones are away from home and the millers have to take care of their apartment. This paper will analyze the story as well as the style that Carver employs to reach his audience effectively. The story presents a chronological order of the ventures of the Millers when their neighbors are away. At the beginning, the story describes the lifestyle of the Stones and their vacations and expeditions. The fun-filled life of the Stones is a contrast to the routine life of the Millers. The story describes a ten-day period when the Stones are away from home. Before they leave, they request the Millers to feed their cat and water their plants. The Stones leave the Millers with the keys to their apartments because of the responsibility vested on them (Carver 116). As the author reveals, the Millers found themselves crossing the boundaries of their responsibilities. This becomes evident from their behavior in the Stone’s apartment. Bill and Arlene resulted to spending too much time in the Stone’s apartment. Both of them developed an obsession of wanting to be in the Stones’ apartment. The author highlights that none of them noticed that they were spending overly a long time in their neighbors ‘apartment. The author reveals the action of the Millers in the Stone’s apartment. Both Bill and Arlene often got absorbed in snooping around their neighbor’s privacy. Bill and Arlene ventured into checking out things from all the rooms in the Stone’s apartment. Bill would reach for drinks and foodstuffs in the refrigerator. He would them gulp down the drinks and have a taste of the foodstuffs evident from day one, “He reached in the back (of the liquor cabinet) for the bottle of Chivas Regal. He took two drinks from the bottle, wiped his lips on his sleeve, and replaced the bottle in the cabinet” (Carver 117). In addition, he inspected everything in the Stone’s bedroom and tried on their clothes, (Carver 119).He seemed to have attained a new obsession of snooping around and trying out everything in the Stone’s apartment. Often he got too absorbed into Stone’s apartment and relaxed on their bed. Getting a glimpse of life in the Stone’s apartment seemed to excite the couple. Bill found himself staring at his image on the mirror, "He looked at himself in the mirror and then closed his eyes and then looked again”, (Carver 117). At one moment, he could not paint the image of the Stones in his mind. This shows that he had taken over their world virtually and they no longer existed. On the other hand, Arlene often took her time to check out things in the apartment. The fact she confessed having found some pictures in the Stone’s apartment proved that she had also been snooping around the Stone’s possessions (Carver 119). The couple seemed to notice that the venture of snooping around the neighbor’s house was an absurd experience (Carver 119). The couple indulged in absurd activities each time they went to feed the cat. Their absurdity made them too absorbed that they could often forget the purpose of being in the Stone’s house. The Millers abused the freedom of having access to the Stone’s apartment. They did not respect the moral boundaries expected of them. As two mature individuals, they possessed a moral authority that should have helped them distinguish their level of intrusion into the Stone’s house. However, the couple defied that moral authority and expectations. Bill and Arlene seemed to derive immeasurable pleasure from snooping around the apartment of the Stone’s. The story highlights the surrealism that can exist in human beings. From the story, Bill absorbed himself into the Stones’ apartment that it drifted him to a fantasy world. As long as he was alone in the neighbor’s apartment, he projected a different self, a personality only possible in his subconscious mind. The same happened to his wife. This couple considered the neighbor’s apartment as a sort of private place where their dream world was possible. However, when they realized that they had left the key inside, they venture into the surrealist world as a couple. The story reveals that humans often want to cross boundaries and explore. Although the couple was well aware that what they were doing was not right, they seemed unable to control their curiosity to unravel details in the Stone’s apartment. The possessions in the Stone’s apartment were sufficient to provide the Miller’s with clues about the inside story of the Stone’s life. The Millers wanted to satisfy their curiosity about the Stone’s and this explains why they spend so much time in the Stone’s apartment. Their curiosity reveals an attribute of human beings. It reveals the inner desires of human beings irrespective of their social standing. Any human being in the Millers’ position would probably behave in a similar manner. Carver was trying to remind his readers of the natural urges that they face. Using a normal setting, in a neighbor’s apartment, Carver described the real character of Bill and Arlene. The couple gave in to the urges that result from curiosity and found themselves immersed in the Stone’s world. Although curiosity is a common feature among human beings, the majority of people exercise self-control. The Millers did not exhibit that sense of self-control. For them, it seemed like the long awaited expedition to spice up their life. Although the author mentions that the Millers were happy, their behavior presents loopholes to their story. Both Bill and Arlene seem to be in search of something new in their lives (Hooper, Brad, and Saricks 99). The fact that Carver is a fan of writing about the life of the average American d rives the reader to conclude that the possession of the Stones excited the Millers. This may explain why could not hide their connection with the possession of the Stones. The story reveals the strength of the human curiosity. Curiosity can drive human beings to a form of insanity. It can drift one’s world to new realms. Bill and Arlene experienced a strong drive to satisfy their curiosity about the Stones. The impulses were strong enough to influence their behavior. They readjusted their routines to find time to be in the Stone’s house. Bill would leave work early in order to create more time in the Stone’s house. At some point, Bill preferred staying at home than going to work. In addition, the obsession with the Stone’s house was giving more energy sexually. The couple was forgetting its realities and venturing into the world of their neighbors. The couple had drifted into new realms of thought. At some point, they imagined that the Stones were never coming back. In a bid to satisfy their curiosity, the couple had allowed curiosity to take control over their life. It is ironical that the obsession develops in ten-day period yet seems to have full control over the couple. The style that Carver employs tells the story effectively. He highlights the conversations between Bill and Arlene. Since the conversations flow naturally between the couple, the reader can easily connect with the couple (Fallon35). The use of a realistic conversation between the couple enables the reader to form an attachment with Bill and Arlene. The connection lasts until the end of the story when the couples have left the key inside the apartment. The effectiveness of employing conversation enables readers to examine what they would have done if they were in the position of Bill and Arlene. In addition, Carver makes use of an impartial narrator. The narrator does not reveal any form of bias in telling the story. Such impartiality leaves the reader with the soberness to analyze the actions of Bill and Arlene in an honest way. The reader examines the morality of the couple without any form of influence from the narrator. Carver wanted to tell his story from without inclining the reader to any side of the matter. He avoided presenting any judgment. If anyone must place judgment on the behavior, it is the reader. Since the author gives the reader the space to make judgments, the reader can unravel the moral lesson of the story (Fallon36). The reader will try to reflect on the reasons that compelled the author to make the couple’s behavior his subject. The author presents his fascination with the little things that would go unnoticed for other authors. Through his fascination with these minor details, he moves the reader to question his intention for writing this story. Carver highlights an interesting aspect of human beings. The couple in the story strives to satisfy their curiosity about their neighbor’s house. They snoop around the Stones’ house to a point of getting an obsession with the house. The Millers find their neighbor’s apartment a source of excitement. The absurdity that follows shows the depth of their curiosity. The author uses dialogue in the narration to connect the reader with the events and characters. Work Cited Carver, Raymond. “Neighbors.”Retellings: A Thematic Literature Anthology. E.d M.B. Clarke and A. G. Clarke. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 116-120. Print. http://sacengl1302.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/46579428/Neighbors%20by%20Raymond%20Carver.pdf Fallon, Erin. A Reader's Companion to the Short Story in English. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2001. Print. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=rCCbiO901XAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Reader%27s+Companion+to+the+Short+Story+in+English.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Wg-YUJjiIIap0AWBg4CAAw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA Hooper, Brad, and Joyce G. Saricks. Writing Reviews for Readers' Advisory. Chicago: American Library Association, 2010. Print. http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=PYU3z-1dKCsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Hooper,+Brad,+and+Joyce+G.+Saricks.+Writing+Reviews+for+Readers%27+Advisory.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZxCYUPKRPPKb1AXhwoGIAQ&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Read More