Sean Brodie's Response to the Neighbors

The story "Neighbors" by Raymond Carver is a fascinating story. The plot is about a couple who live ordinary lives, but have neighbors who often leave town for vacation, business, and to visit relatives. One day their neighbors were running out of town and ask the couple to watch over their house for them. As they left the couple went upstairs to their apartment, thinking they could use a vacation themselves. The husband Bill Miller, a bookkeeper enters his neighbors apartment and takes care of his duties his neighbors ask him to do. He walks into their bathroom and opens up their medicine cabinet with a medicine prescribed for Harriet Stone, his neighbor's wife. He walks into the kitchen to pour water into a pitcher to feed the plants. Afterwards, he looks into their liquor cabinet for a drink. He returns home to have an intimate moment with his wife. Each day when he comes home from work, he visits their apartment, feeds the cat, and meddles with their possessions. Later his wife Arlene, a secretary visits their apartment herself. She accidentally locks Bill and herself out of their apartment.

Basically the couple like meddling with their neighbors apartment because they have things in their successful life than they have. They wonder what it would be like to live in the Stones' shoes. Each time they go into their apartment, it gives them pleasure of excitement, try out new things, and intimate pleasure. We see today on Television or any form of media about how celebrities have luxurious homes and possessions but ordinary people don't have those quality of life. It is like would if an ordinary person could live in a celebrity shoes and play with the things they have in their home. Bill and Arlene Miller may not have what the Stones have, but at least they have each other; messing around in their neighbors apartment was the fun and excitement they needed even if it was for a little while. By doing this really help the couple's marriage and bringing them closer together.