Language

Choice of words

The style of language in the short story “Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?” by Raymond Carver is generally formal in the narration, which mirrors Ralph’s serious attitude. The vocabulary includes long words, rarely used in everyday conversation, such as “squalor” (dirty and unpleasant, as a result of poverty or neglect) and “fleetingly” (for a very short time). Several phrases help to portray Ralph as educated: “Increasingly, ghastly images would be projected on his eyes, certain unthinkable particularities.” (p. 173, ll. 21-22).

Dialogue is indicated by the use of quotation marks. The language the Wymans use in conversation is informal, evocative of spoken speech. The impression of direct speech is also conveyed by the use of expletives and exclamations, with the words which are spoken louder, or more pointedly, written in italics. For example: “ ‘Christ! No! Marian! Jesus Christ!’ he said, springing back from the table. ‘Christ! No, Marian!’ ” (p. 178, l. 39). These also help to convey the characters’ high emotional involvement and raise the tension in the narrative.   

After the confrontation with Marian, as he wanders around, Ralph seems to pick out from the voices of people around him only the negative phrases, which echo his mental state and his situation. For instance: “Down the bar he could hear a woman say angrily, ‘Well, there’s going to be trouble, that’s all I’ve got to say.’ ” (p. 182, ll. 26-27). A while later on the street, he hears “a woman in a long coat say to the man she was with ‘It isn’t that way at all, Bruce. You don’t ...