English Stories of Raymond Carver

Question: Discuss about theEnglishfor Stories of Raymond Carver. Answer: Introduction The Bath is one of the most popular stories written by Raymond Carver, that narrates the story of a couple, who are on the verge of losing their child to death owing to an accident, te boy confronted with, on the eighth year of his birthday. The author with the help of this story tries to explain the uncertainty of life, which is the major, pre-dominant theme running throughout the story. Scott shows the uncertainty of life, as he portrays the life of a couple getting shattered by a single mishap-the accident of their child. While the mother was excited to celebrate the birthday of the only child, by the time the reader arrives the middle of the story, he finds her left to ponder over the chance of survival of her only child. Further, to highlight a sense of uncertainty, the author also shows how the child, after being hit by the car was alright, and it is only after he came back to home, that he lost is sence and got hospitalized. The theme of uncertainty of life is clear throughout the story. In order to highlight the motif, the author keeps on offering jolts to the readers, by bringing in unexpected things. The story starts with a joyous note of the celebration of the boy, and even after Scott got hit by the accident, the reader does expect that nothing has changed as the boy returns home in perfect health. However, all of a sudden the boys shown to be hospitalized, and the reader along with the mother are left apprehending that the child is in coma. Further, the theme of uncertainty is again reinforced when the mother is shown passing through the waiting room at the hospital, where someone clad in housedress or another one in khaki shirt, is being shown to be awaiting healthcare provision. It shows how uncertain human life is, as one may get hospitalized even when it is least expected. The evidence is valid as the story illustrates a sense of uncertainty as the mother as well as the reader keeps on worrying if the child will get alright or not. The lack of understanding of what is happening around is also illustrated by the fact that the mother went to the extent of being superstitious, and left the hospital with the conviction that the child might get up if she was not watching him. The author shows life is uncertain and difficult to understand. The evidence is relevant as by the end of the story also, the readers are left to wonder if the child gets well or not. I have seen an uncle going out of his home in perfect health, and all of a sudden his family got a call from the hospital that he had a stroke and that his health was not stable at all. I partially agree with the authors view. Even though I am not fatalistic by nature, yet I have seen how people go through difficult times, where they do not get to control anything. A person who is smiling now, may not have a single reason to smile in the next moment. Reference List: Carver, R. (2015).Beginners. Vintage. Carver, R. (2015).Call if you need me: the uncollected fiction and other prose. Vintage. Halfon, S., Weinstein, L. (2016). Literary and analytic transformations of trauma: Repetition, revision and rebirth in two stories of Raymond Carver.Psychoanalytic Psychology,33(S1), S120. Hodge, M. (2014). Bicycles, Muscles, Cigarettes, and ESL: Raymond Carver in the Classroom.Teaching American Literature,7.