Final answer:
Vonnegut's indication that there are 'almost no characters' in his story signifies a minimalist narrative style that relies on readers to interpret and fill in details, creating a unique reading experience that challenges conventional characterization and storytelling.
Step-by-step explanation:
Vonnegut's statement about the lack of characters in his story highlights a narrative style that leaves much to the imagination of the reader, creating a lean and ambiguous text. This style of writing can be compared to the works of Tarjei Vesaas and his poetic minimalism, where the narrative is presented as a bare skeleton, requiring the reader to add flesh to it.
Similarly, the minimalist language in Carver's stories, which lacks details on speech intonation and uses a simple verb "to go" for dialogue, generates uncertainty and a sense that more is left unsaid than said. The absence of developed characters or varied sentence structures is significant as it aligns with a rhetorical approach that intentionally defies conventional expectations, focusing instead on creating a unique and immersive experience for the reader.
The significance of having "almost no characters" lies in the partnership between author and reader, where the reader contributes to the narrative by using their own imagination and experiences to interpret the text. This is exemplified in F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrayal of characters that are not meant to represent anyone other than themselves, yet still resonate with universal themes, as is the case with the portrayal of Gatsby.