Boxes by Raymond Carver - 1120 Words

‘Boxes’ is a short story that focuses on the limits that people are confined to either by their own doing or by society; it is a story about physical and psychological boxes that they put their emotions and true feeling into. The story focuses on the mother who, plagued by depression, contains her emotions and relies on lies and manipulation to achieve her goals; her son, the narrator, who cannot bring himself to ‘unbox’ his true feelings about his mother; and Jill, whom serves as a foil to both characters by having no walls or barriers. The narrator’s mother can’t handle getting close to anyone in her life, so she counteracts this by hiding her true self in a box and moving from place to place. She battles a great depression since she lost her only solid human relationship with the death of her husband. She doesn’t allow anyone to know about or help her with her depression. She boxes her emotions up. â€Å"Boxes and have been sitting around inside her house for months† (583); the author uses this to represent the mother’s life and psychological issues; she holds all of her real thoughts and emotions inward. Rather than dealing with the issue of her husband’s death, the mother uses moving as a way to escape. She moves to a new area in search of happiness, blaming her problems on anyone except herself. The mother states â€Å"Other women my age are happy. Why can’t I be like other women?† (587), this reinforces the idea that she is searching for contentment and a way to overcome herShow MoreRelatedEssay about Raymond Carvers Boxes1504 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carvers Boxes There are many types of relationships, though all are complicated and both parties of the relationship must bend over backward for one another. In Boxes, Carver shows how difficult it is for the son to cope with bringing closure to his mother’s relationship though he still loves her. The mother moves to be near her son; however, she starts packing to move again a while later; not finding the relationship she once had with her son. Through the short story â€Å"Boxes,†Read More Robert Altmans Film Adaptation of Raymond Carvers Short Cuts4363 Words   |  18 PagesRobert Altmans Film Adaptation of Raymond Carvers Short Cuts The characters in Robert Altmans film adaptation of the Raymond Carver anthology Short Cuts think theyre islands entire of themselves. They suspect their lives and their worlds of isolation, alienation, separation, in multiple senses of the words. They fail to see, or perhaps purposely ignore, connections between themselves and those around them, between their actions and the ramifications of those actions. And while a typicalRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Cathedral `` By Raymond Carver And The Lady With The Dog1501 Words   |  7 PagesThe two stories of â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver and â€Å"The Lady with the Dog† by Anton Chekhov focus equally on the grand theme of change. In â€Å"Cathedral†, the story concentrates on the main character, referred to only as the narrator. He is portrayed as a close minded and unaccepting man, but as the story goes on we see a drastic change in his thoughts and actions. The story is told in first person point of view, giving re aders a first-hand account of how and why the narrator changes as the storyRead MoreEssay on The History Of Arts And Crafts5478 Words   |  22 Pageswithout great detail. Child with a Cat, by William Zorach, is an example of sculpture carved directly in stone. Wood permits more complex carving. Wood can also be shaped and bent, if it is given the right type of treatment first. With planning, the carver can make grain an effective part of the design and add to the surface beauty of the work. Clay is soft and lends itself to more delicate designs. Metal can be melted and cast in molds to reproduce sculptures designed in clay. Metal can also be worked