"Why don't you dance"

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"Why don't you dance"

by Raymond Carver

The story is set in suburban America in the 1970'es. The main character, who remains nameless throughout the whole story, hast just moved his whole bedroom out into the street, lamps plugged in and all. The time is backed by the appliances - the boy turns on the TV set and makes minor adjustments, and you get the feeling, that he is turning the knobs to get a sharp picture. Also, in the seventies, everybody had a TV but it was still, as it is today, a rather big expense.

The characters are: The man (the main character), the girl and the boy, who is the only character in our story to be called by his name, Jack.

The man is middle-aged. In the beginning of the story, he brings out a lot of things from his home, and most of them are gifts. The nature of the things, suggests that they are wedding presents (a box of silverware, a record player, a muslin cloth). These are typically things you would get a couple of newly-weds for their shared home. Something has happened to his wife