Introduction
This essay will be an examination of the minimalist elements in the two short stories, ‘They’re not your husband’ and ‘Neighbors’, by Raymond carver. There will be an emphasis on the thematic issues of body image and materialism in the two short stories.
Chapter 1
Minimalism
Minimalism is a movement in the arts; it arose in the 1950s and was characterized by simplicity and massive forms. Even if minimalism arose in the 50s it was first later, that the term would be used in literature.
Minimalism is a postmodernist writing technique. It is characterized by the expectation of the readers to contribute to the creation of the story, and the author’s hesitation to use adjectives, adverbs, and meaningless details. Postmodern literature …show more content…
So even if Carver finds the term ‘minimalist’ degrading, he writes as a proud author of his writing techniques.
Chapter 2
Body Image
Appearance is a vital factor taking part in the short story, ‘They’re Not Your Husband’. In the story, Doreen’s appearance becomes a part of her husband, Earl’s, masculinity. So, when the two businessmen make vulgar comments about her looks, Earl experiences it as a personal attack.
Earl quickly decides to pass the message on to his wife, that he thinks she is too fat. Then he continues to manipulate her into losing weight. Doreen points out that he never mentioned it before to which he answers:
“I never felt it was a problem before”
This indicates that Earl first started becoming aware of Doreen’s weight after it was pointed out by two male figures, that he saw as superior alpha males.
After putting his wife on a strict diet, Earl returns to the coffee shop. He hopes to see someone’s reaction to his wife’s new, much skinnier, look. He asks people about what they think of her looks, even goes to ask an older man:
“What do you think of that? […] Don’t you think that’s something
This essay will be an examination of the minimalist elements in the two short stories, ‘They’re not your husband’ and ‘Neighbors’, by Raymond carver. There will be an emphasis on the thematic issues of body image and materialism in the two short stories.
Chapter 1
Minimalism
Minimalism is a movement in the arts; it arose in the 1950s and was characterized by simplicity and massive forms. Even if minimalism arose in the 50s it was first later, that the term would be used in literature.
Minimalism is a postmodernist writing technique. It is characterized by the expectation of the readers to contribute to the creation of the story, and the author’s hesitation to use adjectives, adverbs, and meaningless details. Postmodern literature …show more content…
So even if Carver finds the term ‘minimalist’ degrading, he writes as a proud author of his writing techniques.
Chapter 2
Body Image
Appearance is a vital factor taking part in the short story, ‘They’re Not Your Husband’. In the story, Doreen’s appearance becomes a part of her husband, Earl’s, masculinity. So, when the two businessmen make vulgar comments about her looks, Earl experiences it as a personal attack.
Earl quickly decides to pass the message on to his wife, that he thinks she is too fat. Then he continues to manipulate her into losing weight. Doreen points out that he never mentioned it before to which he answers:
“I never felt it was a problem before”
This indicates that Earl first started becoming aware of Doreen’s weight after it was pointed out by two male figures, that he saw as superior alpha males.
After putting his wife on a strict diet, Earl returns to the coffee shop. He hopes to see someone’s reaction to his wife’s new, much skinnier, look. He asks people about what they think of her looks, even goes to ask an older man:
“What do you think of that? […] Don’t you think that’s something