After the Denim

E1007644

"After the Denim" is a short story by Raymond Carver that explores aging, loss, and quiet marital tension through the perspective of an older man observing a younger couple at a bingo hall.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf short story
author Raymond Carver NERFINISHED
centralConflict internal conflict of the aging husband
tension between older and younger couples at bingo hall
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
depicts ordinary working-class life
subtle marital conflict
explores the contrast between youth and old age
the fear of losing control
the fragility of domestic stability
firstPublicationForm magazine short story
focusesOn a younger couple at a bingo hall
an older married couple
genre literary fiction
realist fiction
hasTitleMetaphor denim as symbol of youth and casualness
includedIn Cathedral (short story collection) NERFINISHED
Where I’m Calling From NERFINISHED
language English
literaryMovement minimalism
mainCharacter Edna Packer NERFINISHED
James Packer NERFINISHED
motif bingo
clothing
routines
narrativePerspective third-person limited
partOf Raymond Carver’s later, more expansive style compared to his earliest work
primarySetting bingo hall
protagonistConcern wife’s health
protagonistEmotion anxiety about the future
envy of youth
protagonistTrait controlling
judgmental
style spare prose
understated emotion
theme aging
control and order
illness
jealousy
loss
marital tension
mortality
quiet desperation
resentment
timePeriodOfSetting late 20th century
tone melancholic
restrained

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.