In Freud's Civilization and Its Disturbances, human beings are described as exhibiting three types of coping mechanisms to relieve themselves of the suffering they experience. One of these mechanisms is intoxication: intoxicating oneself with various physical substances to become intoxicated. In Raymond Carver's stories, intoxication (drinking, in this case) is used not only as a means to deal with the situation, but also as a social lubricant that breaks down the inhibitions of the characters who use it. Since Carver himself was an alcoholic, his stories reflect his perspective on that experience; there is no glamor or romance in the act of drinking in his stories. 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 intoxication to reveal something hidden that would otherwise have remained hidden if the characters had not been intoxicated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In “Why Don't You Dance,” the older man pouring himself another drink is first introduced. Although he does not state it directly, Carver implies that the man is dealing with the emotional pain resulting from his loss by drinking by closely associating the two with each other, as shown when the narrator says, "His side, his side. He reflected on this while sipping whiskey" (3). The man does not seem to derive any happiness from it and simply seems to become more indifferent to what people think of him, as demonstrated when he thinks, "Every now and then a car would slow down and people would stare. But no one would stop. It occurred to me he who wouldn't 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 paralleled in the young couple who stop to check out his exhibit. They are initially reserved and worry 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 girl were moving up and down the driveway. They were dancing. And when the record ended , they did it again, and when it was over, the boy said, 'I'm drunk'" (9). Compared to simply lying in a man's bed, drunken dancing in a stranger's backyard is much "weirder", but the young couple no longer cares what people think of them. “Those people over there are watching,” he said. “It's all right,” the man said. “It's my house,” he said. 'Let them watch,' the girl said" (9). Weeks later, when she is sober again, she tries to spin the story so that it would appear that he was the only one uninhibited. "He kept talking. He told everyone. There was more and she was trying to get people to talk about it. After a while she stopped trying" (10). Carver shows the effects of intoxication by showing their inhibitions (or lack thereof) before, during and after getting drunk. He also reveals something hidden about the girl: her behavior changes completely after getting sober again; what does this reveal about her? Could she be lonely, or somehow deeply affected by the dance with the man? “What do we talk about when we talk about love,” Carver uses cheap gin to reveal again hidden emotions. At the beginning of the evening, Mel and Terri appear to have a strong relationship, albeit with some disagreements. Mel begins to get drunk, the first major crack in Mel and Terri's relationship is shown when he calmly tells her: shut up for once. "your life" (146). Mel talks about.