Setting and narrator

In what follow, we will concentrate on the setting and narrator of “Why Don't You Dance?” by Raymond Carver.

Setting

Published in 1981, the short story does not have an explicit historical and geographical setting, but it is easy to assume the events were meant to be interpreted as contemporary to the time of publishing through the mentions of the car, the record-player and the TV: “"I'm going to turn off this TV and put on a record," the man said.” (p. 2, l.34)

Physical setting

The main physical setting is the property of the old man with the “dark” house (p. 1, l. 6), the lawn, and the driveway where all the objects from the house are put on display for sale. The fact that the furniture from the house is...

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Social setting

The social setting is focused on relationships and generational gaps. On the one hand, the old man illustrates the way the older generation relates to material things, relationships, and attraction. He wants to sell all the things that remind him of his life with his wife (who died or left) yet cannot help...

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Narrator

The short story is a third person narration, told by a narrator who is outside the action. However, he makes his presence felt by using the article “this” to identify the couple which suggests that he knows exactly who his characters are: “This girl and this boy were furnishing a little apartment.” (p. 1, ll. 31-32).

However, the narrator chooses to confine himself to a limited point of view and not to give out all the details about the characters. He also relies mostly on the point of view of the middle-aged man:

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