Signals By Raymond Carver Analysis

In the short story Signals by Raymond Carver, Wayne and Caroline, a married couple going out to dinner to celebrate a birthday is abruptly disrupted by the constant bickering between the couple over the owner the of the restaurant Aldo. The argument soon unfolds that it is just not Aldo himself that is the problem. To start off, Wayne is wanting took take his wife Caroline out to a nice restaurant for her birthday at a new restaurant that just opened. Wayne wanting to impress his wife was already thrown off once stepping inside the fancy restaurant, the restaurant itself was decorated exquisitely, catching Caroline’s attention, even Aldo himself showed them to their table. Once seated Wayne begins to comment on Aldo stating “Did you see the suit he was wearing?” Wayne said “You seldom see a suit like that. That’s a three-hundred dollar suit” (Carver 326). Then becoming irritated at where they were seated by Aldo stating “We could have had a better, table,” Wayne said. “Instead of right here in the center where everyone can walk by and watch you eat” (Carver 326). After Wayne complains about the table, he begins to move onto the waiter and finds something to complain
With the restaurant being brand new, the waiter himself was brand new as well and wanting to do a job on one of his first nights on the job. While the waiter does not do much talking, no matter what the request is that Wayne barks out to him, the waiter always states “Yes, sir” (Carter 326) and “Yes madam” (Carter 326). Aldo comes over and explains to the couple about the waiter’s situation and it turns out that the waiter’s name is Paul. “This is Paul’s first night. He speaks little English, yet I trust you will agree he is an excellent waiter” (Carver 328). Paul did everything to the best of his ability do accommodate the couple for the evening even due to his lack of English