Language

Style of language

In the short story “Vitamins”, Raymond Carver uses a minimalist writing style, which is a common feature of his writing.

When it comes to sentence structure, Carver mainly uses short sentences that help readers focus on what happens. Short sentences are used both in the narrator’s account – “The spade waitress named Hannah came over. Hannah and me nodded. She looked at Donna” – and in the characters’ dialogues:

'You dream!' Patti said. 'Even if you don't remember. Everybody dreams. If you didn't dream, you'd go crazy. I read about it. It's an outlet. People dream when they're asleep. Or else they'd go nuts. But when I dream I dream of vitamins. Do you see what I'm saying?' She had her eyes fixed on me.

In this example, the short sentences give the story the feel of areal-life con...