Literary Analysis: Everything Stuck To Him By Raymond Carver

In “Everything Stuck to Him” by Raymond Carver, Carver discusses the a young couple’s life as parents. Carver utilizes a frame story- a story within a story- to describe the young man’s life the choices he has made. In the short story, Carver uses diction, a minimalistic style, a frame story, and symbolism to emotionally impact the reader and develop the piece. Foremost, Carver utilizes a casual and simplistic diction to garner a feeling of innocence within the story. This innocent and immature sentiment is further revealed in his use of referring to the characters simply as “the boy” and “the girl.” “They were kids themselves, but they were crazy in love, this eighteen-year-old boy and this seventeen-year old girl when they married.” This …show more content…
The frame story looks back on the main character’s life and shows how he has changed, as well as develops a conflict. Carver writes about a man from two different times in his life. The “outside” story involves the daughter of the man inquiring about what it was like when she was a baby. “Tell me what it was like when I was a kid.” The story the man tells, the frame story, surrounds the conflicts he experienced during his past. The man describes how he and his wife were madly in love, but had their disputes. When the boy in the frame story decides to go hunting, this leads to an argument between him and his wife. “I don’t want to be left alone with her like this.” After further thought, the boy decides he would rather stay home with his family, relieving the frame story conflict. “If you want a family, you’re going to have to choose.” The frame story also reveals the main character’s past and provides the reader with a deeper understanding of him, as well as shows the changes in the man’s life over …show more content…
Carter’s initial symbol, the cold weather, symbolizes the change of season and the transition of the main character from boyhood to adulthood. “The baby came along in late November during a cold spell that just happened to coincide with the peak of the waterfowl season.” It also demonstrates the rising tensions between the girl and the boy. Another symbol, the characters using the dentist’s letterhead, displays how the characters were immature and did not have their own identity. “So one day the dentist finds out they were using his letterhead for their personal correspondence.” The author’s choice to omit the main characters’ names, but provide names for other characters, further adds to the immaturity of the main characters. “Sally was the girl’s sister.” Finally, Carver uses the symbol of the main character scraping the ice off the car to show how the character can clearly understand the situation after further thought. After he cleans his car, he decides to go back inside and spend time with his family. “He went around to the car windows and, making a job of it, scraped away the