Neighbors
E1007651
"Neighbors" is a short story by Raymond Carver that explores the unsettling dynamics and hidden desires that emerge when a couple becomes obsessively fascinated with the lives of the people living next door.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary work
ⓘ
short story ⓘ |
| analyzedFor |
Carver’s minimalist technique
ⓘ
themes of voyeurism and envy in contemporary life ⓘ |
| author | Raymond Carver NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralConflict | The Millers’ fascination with the Stones’ life leads them to cross boundaries and question their own identities. ⓘ |
| character |
Arlene Miller
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Bill Miller NERFINISHED ⓘ Harriet Stone NERFINISHED ⓘ Jim Stone NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| collectionAuthor | Raymond Carver NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| firstPublicationForm | magazine publication ⓘ |
| genre |
minimalist fiction
ⓘ
realist fiction ⓘ short fiction ⓘ |
| hasSymbolism |
borrowed objects symbolize desire and appropriation.
ⓘ
the neighbors’ apartment symbolizes an imagined better life. ⓘ |
| includedInCollection | Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryDevice |
foreshadowing
ⓘ
irony ⓘ minimalist detail ⓘ symbolism ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | minimalism ⓘ |
| literaryStyle |
concise prose
ⓘ
understated narration ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
envy of others’ lives
ⓘ
hidden desires ⓘ identity and selfhood ⓘ marital dissatisfaction ⓘ ordinary life and its discontents ⓘ privacy and transgression ⓘ voyeurism ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | third-person limited ⓘ |
| partOfAuthorCareerPhase | early Raymond Carver period ⓘ |
| plotSummary | A married couple becomes increasingly obsessed with the lives and possessions of their neighbors while housesitting their apartment. ⓘ |
| protagonist |
Arlene Miller
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Bill Miller NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| setting | an American apartment building ⓘ |
| studiedIn | American literature courses ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
married life
ⓘ
neighbor relationships ⓘ ordinary middle-class existence ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfSetting | late 20th century ⓘ |
| tone |
uneasy
ⓘ
unsettling ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.