Characterization of Ralph Wyman

Outer characterization

Ralph Wyman is the main character in the short story “Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?” by Raymond Carver. The events and the other characters are seen through his eyes.

Ralph Wyman comes from an upper-middle class family, as suggested by the fact that his father is a school principal and has tried to inspire in Ralph a sense of purpose and ethics from a young age (p. 171, ll. 2-9). Ralph appears to be in his late 20s or early 30s, judging by the fact that he and Marian married shortly after their graduation from college, and they have two children aged four and five.

Ralph and Marian live in a house in the Fire Hill district of Eureka, a town in the northern part of California. Ralph works as a teacher at a local high school and used to play the cello in college.

Inner characterization

Ralph’s most defining feature appears to be the fact that he is indecisive. At college, he had trouble picking out which subject he wanted to pursue, as his “goals were hazy” (p. 171, l.10), and he considered becoming either a doctor or a lawyer, before he realized he did not have the abilities required. The same inability to make decisions comes into play at the end, as a result of Marian’s confession (p. 187, ll. 9-13). His inability to...