Exploring the Relationship Between Silence and Alienation in Raymond Carver’s Short Stories

By aiming to explore the themes of alienation and silence in Carver's short stories, in this thesis I will analyze these selected texts: "Why Honey?", "The Third Thing That Killed My Father Off" and "Vitamins". Building on theorethical frameworks of Seeman's alienation, Nesset and Champion's economy of language, and identifying recurring motifs throughout the texts, and demostrating how these elements intertwine to create a portrayal of human disconnection. This thesis seeks to demonstrate how Carver’s minimalist style not only reflects the characters’ struggles with isolation but also serves as a vehicle for exploring the fragility of relationships in contemporary society.