'Neighbors' Narrative by Raymond Carver
‘Neighbors' narrative by Raymond Carver involves Bill and Arlene Miller, who are given a chance to look after Stone's apartment after the owners travel (Carver 3).
Narrator as an Observer
The speaker in the story is an observer, who watches Bill and Miller explore the Stone's apartment. Several things are notable about the narrator based on how the story is presented. One is that he/she does not judge the characters of the couple. For example, when they visit the apartment, Bill forgets to feed the cat, which is the main reason for her visit, because she is exploring the assets in the apartment. Miller, on the other hand, drinks the couple's drinks and fits their clothes, including those of the opposite gender. From a reader's view, it is expected that the observer would condemn their actions. However, there is no comment about them, showing the narrator aims the audience to conclude on their own.
Narrator's Knowledge of the Millers
The narrator seems to acquire knowledge of the Millers' doings and thinking by both observation and assumption. For example, after stating that Miller wore the clothes of the couple and stood before a mirror, the observer assumes that the character is imagining being the owner of the clothes (8). If the narrator were a participant in the story, perhaps he would have questioned the character. However, the assumptions made by the narrator are in line with what the audience would judge the couple. For example, it is evident that the Stone's Apartment is better than the place the couple lives. By assuming that the characters wish to live in the house, it is expected by the readers, as human beings tend to admire living the lives of other people who are wealthier.
The Millers' Admiration
The Millers in the story are the people who admire the lives of others. They tend to feel unlucky for not being in the same social class as the others. As a result, they adore and stare at them, which makes them lose focus on their goals in life. For example, Bill and Miller admire the Stone's house, where Bill forgets to feed the cat while Miller develops sexual desires (10). This is to say that the couple ignores their role in looking after the house and concentrates on their desires. Notably, the Millers in life do not admire others until they closely relate to them. For example, the two couples have been in friendship, leading to trust between them. However, the issue of desire and wishes by Bill and Miller erupts after the other couple leaves. No wonder the relationship between the couples is tight but becomes odd after Bill and the husband are left.
Regret and Lesson Learned
The desire is too much that the couple forgets the respect they ought to show the friends, which makes them regret after discovering that their actions would be known. The narrator is interested in the Millers, to make the readers learn a lesson from the story. Notably, the speaker describes how the Millers admire and abandon their homes to enjoy the comfort of the house. By that, the aim is to inform the readers on how human beings leave their happy lives to enjoy a little comfort that does not last long. The idea that the couple regrets later, as their relationship with the other couple may not be evident again; the observer is sending a message to the readers. That is the reason as to why the speaker does not explain what the Millers do in the Stone's Apartment, as the central message is on how people admire the lives of others and forget their own.
Works cited
Carver, Raymond. Conversations with Raymond Carver. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1990.
