Raymond Carver's story "Little Things" was probably one of the saddest stories I've ever read, and it wasn't even long! My initial reaction to the story was curiosity; I wondered about this arguing couple and what it was that had caused their drift. As I continued reading I began to feel a certain sense of dread when they began arguing about the baby. My dread turned to anger and then finally to shock. The ending of the story was horrible. I was disgusted, angry, shocked, and repulsed at this couple who in their selfishness ended up destroying an innocent life.
One of the strongest literary devices Carver used was that of imagery. You could see the man as he "pushed" his clothing into his suitcase, auditory imagery when it came to the women screaming at him to leave, and more visual imagery as we saw the couple bring upon the death of their baby. Carver also used ambiguity in regards to the reason for the couples break up. There's a small sense of irony to the story as well; both the man and woman were fighting to keep the baby and in the end neither of them was able to keep it.
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