A Small Good Thing Analysis

Meal Analysis Essay

Food is one of the underlying factors of our everyday lives. Every animal needs nourishment to survive, but for us humans it can be so much more. It can connect people on many different levels from broad and professional to intimate and personal. Eating releases endorphins in the brain making food a pleasurable and comforting thing. In many cultures, food is also celebratory. In the United States, one is almost guaranteed to see some sort of food at any event. From birthdays to funerals to weddings—food is almost always used as a way to celebrate. In Raymond Carver’s “A Small, Good Thing” Carver uses food throughout the story to reveal the significance it has in everyday life. Carver’s story, along with Caitlin and Nicole’s

The story starts out with a mother going to a bakery to order a birthday cake for her son’s upcoming birthday. Instead of having a birthday party after school that day, Scotty, the son, is rushed to the hospital after he becomes unconscious from being knocked down by a car. The parents, Ann and Howard, are told over and over again that Scotty will be just fine. Throughout the few days that they are waiting for Scotty’s recovery, they strengthen their bond together over this tragic event. All the while, the birthday cake was never picked up. The baker is frustrated that he wasted his time baking this cake, so he repeatedly calls the house. Ann and Howard don’t realize who this mysterious caller is until the end of the story, after being blindsided by Scotty’s sudden untimely death. The couple goes to confront the baker late at night and instead they end up making a connection with him while eating the decadent food the baker provides for

Nicole writes that lasagna fills her with excitement and anticipation (Ramsey). Caitlin explicitly writes that beef stew comforts her (Paredes). They both write about how delicious their favorite meals are for them and use expressions like “feeling[s] of warmth” (Paredes) and “a smell that makes your mouth start watering” (Ramsey). Along with the food, they both explain that part of the reason the food is so comforting to them is because it is a family event. Nicole affectionately writes that she gets to “see all the people [she] love[s] at the same place and the same time.” Similarly, Caitlin writes that she and her family “come around the dinner table and laugh, smile and love”