Structure
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Beginning
The short story "Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?" by Raymond Carver begins with an exposition, which introduces the first part of the story. We are told about the background of the main character, Ralph Wyman. We learn that in college he took some classes in philosophy and literature, which made him feel “on the brink of some kind of huge discovery about himself” (p. 171, ll. 19-20), which never came. During that “lowest …
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Middle
In the rising action, Marian brings up the topic of the party, which leads to a rise in tension, and prompts a flashback of Ralph beating her up that night (p. 174, l. 32-35). Now Marian also confesses that Mitchell Anderson kissed her a few times that night (p. 174, l. 27). The tension falls briefly as Ralph seems to take it in with deceptive calm and prompts Marian to tell him more. The tension rises again as Marian tries to change the subject (p. 175, ll. 15-22). The rise in tension is also suggested by the line “The water was beginning to boil.” (p. 175, l. 26)
In a flashback, Marian recounts the night it happened, telling Ralph that she went with Mitchell Anderson to buy drinks from the liquor store. At one …
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Ending
In the falling action, as he returns home on Monday morning, Ralph is tormented by uncertainty about what he should do next (p. 187, ll. 9-13). This echoes his uncertainty at the beginning when he could not decide which subject he wanted to pursue, and “his goals were hazy” (p. 171, l. 10). His wife tries to reach out to him, but he tells her repeatedly to be quiet. As he looks at himself in the mirror and studies his own …
