Raymond Carver's Little Things

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Raymond Carver’s “Little Things” is a short story featuring the vast range of negative emotions and actions that accompany a failing relationship – especially when a child is involved. From start to finish, “Little Things” works to put the reader into an incredibly uncomfortable situation – a fight with a couple whose child gets thrown into the middle. Although the names of the characters are never learned, the reader easily feels sympathy for them, seeing as they’re in a largely unknown situation. Mr. Carver leaves the readers in the dark on most aspects of his characters’ lives. The amount of symbolism in his short story is rather tremendous, featuring: a baby, melting snow, light levels, and even a short-lived flower pot. Although Carver’s …show more content…
Carver’s characters, like those of many earlier American writers, lack a vocabulary that can release their feelings, so they must express themselves mainly through obscure gesture and berserk display” (Howe). Here, Howe conveys the message that due to the characters’ lack of education, they are forced to resort to other, more violent methods to show their anger and frustration, as well as other emotions. Howe is trying to explain that education can be a tool used to express our emotions through our communication with others and our actions. “It is a meager life that Mr. Carver portrays, without religion or politics or culture, without the shelter of class or ethnicity without the support of strong folkways or conscious rebellion” (Howe). Here, Howe explains how Carver’s tale make no remarks to the family’s religious, political, or cultural affiliations – he states that life without any of these fundamental aspects is an inadequate lifestyle void of fulfillment. The family in “Little Things” might have been much better off if they had a healthy way to express their frustrations for one another, whether it be through a church, family, or friends. Carver seemed to have intentionally left out these small but important details of the family’s life because he wanted the readers to only think about the argument at hand, instead of about their backgrounds. Carver kept everything
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