Structure

The short story “Vitamins” by Raymond Carver has a chronological structure and follows the characters over the course of a few months. 

The narrative is also structured around the narrator’s dissatisfaction with everything that surrounds him. The beginning of the story introduces a foreshadowing element with the talk about vitamins. The same words will be repeated by Patti later on in the story. The mention of the girls quitting shows that, despite Patti’s wish to have a good job, her work selling vitamins is not satisfying and successful. This will foreshadow Patti’s dissatisfaction with her job and the pressure she is under. The beginning presents another foreshadowing element which hints that the narrator has a drinking problem and does not care about his job: “I worked a few hours a night for the hospital. It was a nothing job. I did some work, signed the card for ...