A Small, Good Thing

I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen “A Small, Good Thing” af Raymond Carver. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering. 

Præsentation af teksten

Titel: “A Small, Good Thing” (1983)
Forfatter: Raymond Carver
Genre: Short story

Raymond Carver (1938-1988) var en amerikansk forfatter, som især var kendt for sine noveller og digte. Carver skrev ofte i en stilart kendt som dirty realism, hvor fokus typisk var på at skildre menneskers hverdagsliv, med særligt fokus på livets mørke eller tabubelagte sider. 

Novellen “A Small, Good Thing” blev første gang udgivet i Carvers tredje novellesamling Cathedral (1983). Den er egentlig en revideret version af novellen “The Bath”, en kortere fortælling som indgik i Carvers tidligere samling What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (1981).

Uddrag

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Title

The title of the short story “A Small, Good Thing” by Raymond Carver is both literal and symbolic. In the literal sense, the title is taken from something the baker says towards the end of the story. Having just learned that the Weisses’ son Scotty has died, he says to the Weisses: “ ‘Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this,’ he said.” (p. 18, ll. 4-5). The baker then offers them fresh cinnamon rolls. Note that the Weisses do not appear to eat while Scotty is in the hospital, although Dr. Francis encourages them to do so (p. 8, ll. 5-9). They also encourage each other to eat several times (p. 8, l. 23), but neither of them feels hungry (p. 11, ll. 2-6). 

The fact that the Weisses are not hungry and refuse to eat is symbolic for how their entire lives have been put on hold while they are waiting for Scotty to wake up. This hints at the state of uncertainty in which they are living. After Scotty dies, the fact that they can eat provides them with a short break from what has happened. The baker’s words suggest that eating is a good thing to do for oneself in a time of hardship. Besides drawing energy from food, the act of eating can bring some form of consolation when grief has taken over.

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A Small, Good Thing

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