WHY DON’T YOU DANCE? by Raymond Carver

○A middle-aged man sells his furniture in his yard. A girl and a boy, probably newly married, come to the yard, sample it, and buy some including an old record player and records. Later she talks about the man to her friends. 　　○At the end of the story, Cover writes: “She kept talking. She told everyone. There was more to it, and she was trying to get it talked out. After a time, she quit trying.” 　　○At first, I did not understand the meaning of the ending. After studying Carver’s minimalism, I interpret that she realizes the man’s feeling, his sorrow, and his life. She empathizes with him. That’s why “she quit trying.” While she was talking about him making fun of him, sympathy for him overwhelms her. 　　○The story goes:　“I hope you like your bed, he said.” 　　○The bed symbolizes a lot of things shared with his (probably divorced) wife. The girl realizes his lonely life. That’s why “she closed her eyes and opened her eyes. She pushed her face into the man’s shoulder. She pulled the man closer. “You must be desperate or something,” she said.” 　　 ○She uses “desperate” (actuated by a feeling of hopelessness—Random House Dictionary) twice. When she said it first time, it meant something superficial, but when she said it the second time, she knew the real meaning of his “desperate” feeling.