“Tell the Women We’re Going” by Raymond Carver

E825123

“Tell the Women We’re Going” by Raymond Carver is a dark, minimalist short story that follows two men on a seemingly casual outing that escalates into shocking violence, exemplifying Carver’s stark portrayal of ordinary lives unraveling.

All labels observed (1)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf short story
author Raymond Carver NERFINISHED
containsCharacterRelationship friendship between Bill and Jerry
containsMotif drinking
driving
sexual tension
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
createdBy Raymond Carver NERFINISHED
focus ordinary lives unraveling
genre literary fiction
minimalist fiction
short fiction
hasAuthorNationality American
hasTargetAudience adult readers
includedIn Raymond Carver short story collections NERFINISHED
language English
literaryDevice foreshadowing
irony
understatement
literaryMovement minimalism
literarySignificance example of Carver’s stark portrayal of everyday American life
frequently discussed in Carver criticism for its shocking ending
mainCharacter Bill NERFINISHED
Jerry NERFINISHED
narrativePace gradual build-up to abrupt climax
narrativePerspective third-person narration
plotCharacteristic escalation from casual outing to shocking violence
protagonist Bill NERFINISHED
Jerry NERFINISHED
setting American suburb
settingPeriod late 20th century
style realist
spare prose
subjectMatter marriage and infidelity
sudden, senseless violence
working-class American life
theme alienation
banality of evil
disintegration of ordinary lives
male violence
marital dissatisfaction
tone dark
minimalist
violenceType homicide

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

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

Short Cuts basedOn “Tell the Women We’re Going” by Raymond Carver