Vitamins
by
Raymond Carver
(Character of the Narrator)
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The story has been put down in a narrative
style and flows through a series of connections that are even unconnected to
each other. The incidents and dialogues are all seen through the eyes of the
narrator who remains unnamed throughout and relates the events in the first
person.
At
the beginning of the story, we are told that Patti does not have a job but the
narrator does. While this evokes a feeling of respect for him, it is soon
dispelled when he dismisses it as, “It is a nothing job. I did some work,
signed the card for eight hours, went drinking with the nurses.” Patti wants to
improve her life: “After a while Patti wanted a job. She said she needed a job
for her self-respect but there is the glaring contrast between her and the
narrator who comes across as someone with no self-respect. His drinking is the
current that runs throughout the story and we see him drinking too much and much
too often. He drinks too much and too often and we form our judgement about his
character and personality that is reflected in his actions, speech and
reactions during his bouts of drinking. He has no qualms about seducing his
live-in partner’s best friend but when the date turns out badly, he couldn’t
care less what happened to her or where she went. He shows the same
indifference to Sheila when she leaves his house after a quarrel. This reveals
how insensitive and callous he can be. He also makes love to Patti by
fantasizing about Donna, thus reinforcing our view regarding the dishonest streak
in his character.
The
narrator comes across as a pretty worthless person who would go to any lengths,
make any compromises, settle for anything as long as he is comfortable.
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