The Student's Wife Analysis

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The next style element that Carver portrays many times in his writing is dialogue, which he uses to develop the characters in the story. There are two ways Carver instills the use of dialogue in his story “The Student’s Wife.” Nan says, “Please, God, let me sleep” (“The Student’s Wife” 201). Nan is not actually talking here, but the dialogue is in her thoughts. This type of dialogue says that Nan is a holy person because she is having some problems, but instead of talking with others she is talking to God. Nan questions, “God, will you help us, god?” (“The Student’s Wife” 202). Right here Nan is not talking in her thoughts, but aloud to herself. Again, the reader can tell that Nan is a holy person by the way she is talking, but she is also …show more content…

Declarative syntax is used in the story “The Student’s Wife.” It states in the story, “Please, God, let me sleep. She tried to sleep” (“The Student’s Wife” 201). Carver structures his stories to not have a lot of exclamation, but straightforward sentences. He also uses short sentences with four to five words, which makes his stories choppy and broken down. The narrator exclaims, “She closed the robe at her throat. The air was wet and cold” (“The Student’s Wife” 202). This is another example of how Carver uses declarative syntax. He wants to get his point across to the reader, so he uses short, easy to comprehend sentences to help the reader understand what is going on. Second, in the story “Cathedral”, declarative syntax is also used. In the story it says, “She was still wearing a smile. Just amazing” (“Cathedral” 205). Once again, Carver uses short, simple sentences to help the reader comprehend the story. The reader can tell by the sentence structure that the character is happy, but the reader can understand the sarcasticness of the second sentence. The two separate sentences can make it easier to see the different types of points the narrator is trying to get across. Robert says, “The news program ended. I set up and changed the channel” (“Cathedral” 208). Carver uses declarative syntax and simple, broken down sentences here to send the message that Robert is bored. He is just trying to pass the time with the blind man. The reader can tell by the sentence structure that it is a boring statement, which can conclude that Robert is bored and does not want to be where he is at. Declarative syntax is one of the many elements Carver uses to contribute to his

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