A Small, Good Thing

E1006410

A Small, Good Thing is a short story by Raymond Carver that poignantly explores grief, human connection, and the small acts of kindness that emerge in the wake of tragedy.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
A Small, Good Thing canonical 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf literary work ⓘ
short story ⓘ
adaptationDirector Robert Altman ⓘ
adaptationType feature film ⓘ
author Raymond Carver ⓘ
centralMotif birthday cake ⓘ
food ⓘ
small acts of kindness ⓘ
collectedIn Cathedral ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States ⓘ
criticalReception frequently anthologized ⓘ
widely praised for emotional depth ⓘ
explores the gap between strangers ⓘ
the search for meaning after loss ⓘ
firstPublicationDecade 1980s ⓘ
form prose ⓘ
genre contemporary literature ⓘ
realist fiction ⓘ
short fiction ⓘ
hasAdaptation Short Cuts ⓘ
importantCharacter the baker ⓘ
language English ⓘ
literaryMovement minimalism ⓘ
literaryPeriod late 20th century literature ⓘ
literarySignificance one of Raymond Carver's most acclaimed stories ⓘ
narrativePerspective third-person narration ⓘ
plotElement a child is hit by a car ⓘ
mysterious phone calls from a baker ⓘ
parents keep vigil at a hospital ⓘ
sharing food as an act of comfort ⓘ
protagonist Ann Weiss ⓘ
Howard Weiss ⓘ
publisherOfCollection Alfred A. Knopf ⓘ
setting American suburb ⓘ
studiedIn contemporary American literature courses ⓘ
theme communication ⓘ
compassion ⓘ
everyday life ⓘ
grief ⓘ
human connection ⓘ
isolation ⓘ
kindness ⓘ
loss ⓘ
parental grief ⓘ
tragedy ⓘ
titleSignificance refers to modest comforts that help people endure grief ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Where I'm Calling From → containsWork → A Small, Good Thing ⓘ
Raymond Carver bibliography → includesWork → A Small, Good Thing ⓘ