Language

Style of language

The language employed in “Collectors” by Raymond Carver is characterized by an informal style, which adds to the narrator’s personal voice, as he conveys his thoughts throughout the story: “The knock sounded again, louder, a bad sign. I eased up and tried to see onto the porch. But whoever was there was standing against the door, another bad sign.” (p. 78, ll. 11-13). There story rarely uses figurative language such as similes and metaphors, though it does rely on symbolism (see below). 

The narration is mixed with dialogue, but there is no distinction made between the two (such as using quotation marks, for example). The dialogue is often introduced directly in the narration: “I want to show you something, he said. He took a card out of his jacket pocket. Look at this, he said.” (p. 80, ll. 12-13). Another example of this is: “You have to turn it up full strength for a job like this one, he said.” (p. 81, ll. 24-25). The lack of distinction between the dialogue and the narration helps highlight the sense that readers are looking at the events through the narrator’s eyes. It also seems to point to how events are unfolding without the narrator being able to stop them, pointing to the lack of control he has over his s...