| Raymond Carver was an American writer and one of the most excellent and important short story writers in the United States in the 20th century.He was known as "the most influential short story writer in the United States after Hemingway" for his concise and minimalist style,and his in-depth observation and reflection on the lives of American blue-collar people.Carver’s stories have made a great contribution to the revival of American short story,and also provided a new model for American neorealism,which played a very important role in promoting its development.Raymond Carver’s stories are closely connected with his real life.Being poor,getting married and giving birth prematurely,suffering from financial pressure and alcoholism,and lacking continuous and systematic higher education,Raymond Carver has been immersed in the trivialities,pressures and contradictions of family life for almost his entire life,struggling in the quagmire of the lower-middle class of American society.Therefore,Raymond Carver’s stories slide into the family life centered on husband and wife inevitably.Family life is trivial,fragmented,and at the same time a microcosm and reflection of the entire social life,full of profound connotations.He was nourished from family life and daily oral language,writing about the failed lives of blue-collar workers such as salesmen,receptionists,porters,and the unemployed,focusing on their unemployment,bankruptcy,derailment,quarrels,alcoholism and silence,and the family separation.Carver’s stories are always "good at observing the trivial things in daily life and making accurate descriptions".And because of his concise,plain,calm and restrained narrative language,and special attention to the failure of the secular sense of the "little people1"Raymond Carver was praised by The Times of London as "Chekhov of America."In Raymond Carver’s stories,when people face a silent vacuum with nothing to say,the noisy sound of the television fills the awkward blank at once.When people have great thoughts in their minds,but they can’t communicate with each other smoothly,the television takes the opportunity to invade and seize the initiative to speak.Whether it’s resting alone or staying with family and friends for entertainment and gathering,the on-screen television eliminates the boring and social tastelessness of life,but unknowingly strengthens people’s loneliness and alienates people into dullness and numbness.They react negatively to life,feel helpless,and have no hope for the future.In fact,the television has become the"objective counterpart" of the survival plight of the middle and lower blue-collar class in the United States.As long as the television turns on,the characters stop communicating.Televisions hinder the communication between people and aggravate people’s self-enclosure and loneliness.It also means that the mass culture industry is manipulating and shaping ordinary people.The diversified television programs in-depth life have also caused them to become numb to life,sluggish their feelings,and even breed some people’s perverted desire to spy on others’ lives.At the same time,television also spread knowledge and accompany customers’ life,which played a positive role.The telephone was originally used for two-way communication.When there is communication,it is possible to break the loneliness and isolation.But in Raymond Carver’s short stories,the telephone is often used to symbolize the fragile life of the lower and middle-class people in the United States.Their shaky life is difficult to maintain,and they don’t have able to resist risks.Once a small accident occurs,the foundation of life is quickly dissipated,and the building of life collapsed.But the warmth and generosity in Raymond Carver’s works are reflected in the dim life he gave the characters a glimmer of light so that they can follow the light and find the light.Therefore,the telephone sometimes also conveys the character’s will to change and the determination to get out of trouble. |
PDF Full Text Request