Characterization of the narrator

Outer characterization

The narrator is one of the main characters of the short story “Vitamins” by Raymond Carver. His name and age are unknown, and he works night shifts in a hospital: “I had a job and Patti didn't. I worked a few hours a night for the hospital. It was a nothing job. I did some work, signed the card for eight hours, went drinking with the nurses”. It is not clear what the narrator does exactly, but Patti hints that he does some sort of maintenance job: “You don't come home dead tired and fall asleep and dream you're waxing floors or whatever you do down there”. The narrator is married to Patti. 

Inner characterization

The narrator is characterized by his dissatisfaction with his life. When it comes to his job, the narrator reveals th...