In Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents, humans are described as exhibiting three types of coping mechanisms in order to relieve themselves of the suffering they experience . One of these mechanisms is intoxication: getting drunk on various physical substances to get drunk. In Raymond Carver's short stories, intoxication (drinking, in this case) is used not only as a means of coping, but also as a social lubricant that breaks down the inhibitions of the characters who use it. As Carver himself was an alcoholic, his stories reflect his perspective on such an experience; there is no glamor or romance in the act of drinking in his short fiction. Although intoxication is used for similar purposes by both authors, Carver presents it in a more subtle way, using examples to demonstrate its causes and effects while Freud defines it directly. Carver also uses drunkenness to reveal something hidden that would have otherwise remained hidden if the characters had not been drunk. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In "Why Don't You Dance", the older man is first shown pouring himself another drink. Although he does not state it directly, Carver implies that the man copes with the emotional pain resulting from his loss through drinking by closely associating the two, as shown by the narrator: "His side, his side." think about this while sipping the whiskey” (3). The man does not seem to derive any happiness from this and simply seems to become more and more indifferent to what people think of him, as shown when he thinks: "Every now and then a car would slow down and people would look at him . But no one stopped. him that he would not do it either” (4). He is now indifferent to what would normally be potentially embarrassing for him. This shift from self-consciousness to indifference is also seen in the young couple who stop to take a look at their exhibit. At first, they are reserved and worried about what others think of them. Compare this hesitation to when they have a few drinks and then dance: “Arms around each other, their bodies pressed together, the boy and the girl moved up and down the aisle . They were dancing. And when the record was finished, they did it. again, and when it was over, the boy said 'I'm drunk'" (9). Compared to just lying on a man's bed, dancing drunk in the courtyard of A stranger is much “weird,” but the young couple no longer cares what people think of them. “Those people over there are watching,” she said. “It’s okay.” , said the man. “It’s my place,” he said, “Let them look,” said the girl” (9). Weeks later, when she is sober again, she tries to spin the story in a way to make it seem like he was the only one not inhibited. "She kept talking. She told everyone. There was more to say, and she was trying to get people to talk about it. After a while, she stopped trying" (10). Carver shows the effects of drunkenness by displaying their inhibitions (or lack thereof) before, during, and after getting drunk. It also reveals something hidden in the girl - her behavior completely changes after becoming sober again; What does this say about her? She could be alone, or in some way deeply affected by dancing with the man. In "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love", Carver uses cheap gin to reveal hidden emotions again. As the evening begins, Mel and Terri appear to be having a.