“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver is a short story about four friends sitting around a kitchen table drinking gin and discussing their different opinions on what their definitions of love are (Carver 330). The two themes of the story are love and language. The author portrays his themes by the story’s plot, conflict, the point of view, and the characters.
The theme of the story is the elusive nature of love. Throughout the story, the nature of love remains elusive. Despite the characters’ hard efforts to define it, no one can give a clear-cut definition. Mel tries to pinpoint the meaning of love by giving examples, but he never has a conclusion, and he only confuses his friends (Carver 337). Laura and Nick both
The friend’s conversation somehow got on the subject of love (Carver 330). Mel thinks that “real love was nothing less than spiritual love” (Carver 330). Terri said that her ex “loved her so much he tried to kill her” (Carver 330). Nick and Laura do not really voice their opinions on the subject, instead show it through small gestures (Carver 333). The gestures show that love cannot be explained, but that it can be shown. The conflict of the story goes along with the plot. The friends all disagree on the meaning of love, and no one is able to explain or prove what love truly
The narrator of the story is Nick, who is Laura’s husband (Carver 330). Nick does not say much throughout the story, but his physical movements, and his observations that he makes are how he reveals his meaning of love to his friends. (Carver 333). Nick only speaks about four times throughout the conversation, the first two times he spoke he asked questions, one time he suggested that love is absolute, and the last time he spoke was to say that he and Laura are lucky (Carver 333). The things that he says are not really relevant, but the things that mean the most are unspoken. His observation shows how crazy his friend’s ideas of love are. All throughout the story he is touching Laura a lot, holding her, kissing her hand, and touching her leg under the table (Carver 333). The actions he does are genuine gestures, and they show that, even though his friends can say what they want to about love, in the end, their words do not matter, it is how they show and prove
The short story is about two couples drinking and arguing about what love truly is. One of the couples, Terri and Mel, argue about Terri’s ex, Ed. Mel does not think that Terri’s ex truly loved her, but she does. For example, Mel said, “My God, don’t be silly. That’s not love, and you know it,” (412) in response to Terri saying that Ed loved her very much. Mel believes he did not love her because he threatened to kill her and later killed himself when she left him. Terri believes he truly did love her for that exact same
“Terminal Avenue” versus “We So Seldom Look on Love” Eden Robinson’s “Terminal Avenue” was published in the anthology or collection of fictional short stories called “So Long Been Dreaming” in 2004. Bose “Terminal Avenue” is a futuristic dystopian short story about a young aboriginal man named Wil, who is torn between his aboriginal community whose traditions are being punished for by the police and or being punished by his family if he becomes a peace officer to survive the adjustment. Barbara Gowdy’s “We So Seldom Look at Love” is a collection of fictional short stories and was published in 1992. (Broadview Press) “We So Seldom Look on Love” collections include a short story about a young woman that lives the life of necrophilia who grew up in a moderately normal childhood until the age of thirteen. Where one day she finds a forceful energy she gets from when life turns into death, and continues to experiment with dead animals and cadavers.
Nick is the narrator and observer of the story. The only information about him is that he is Mels best friend, Laura...
The overbearing presence of the pressure to change shadows over Neil as he realizes that his love for Brenda is not enough to detach herself from wanting to make her past also his past. Only after Brenda over welcomes herself into his life, does their relationship find it’s breaking point and dulls clearly into the sight of lust not love “What was it inside me that had turned pursuit and clutching into love [...] What was it that had turned winning and losing [...] I was sure I had loved Brenda, though standing there, I knew I couldn’t any longer [...] Whatever spawned my love for her, had spawned such a lust too? If she had only been slightly not Brenda … but then would I have loved her?” (135-136) It becomes evident that Neil finally comprehends his naiveness of misunderstanding that their relationship began from “turned pursuit and clutching into love”. This unhealthy dependency made him chase after her constantly, being afraid of “winning and losing” her in the process. Despite that there could have been the existence or possibility of love “If she had only been slightly not Brenda”, the desire of their forbidden love “had spawned such a lust too”, because of the societal gaps between them that created a challenge. In the end, love could would have never survived through the war zone and battle of their relationship, as long as society
His feelings of animosity and venomous hatred for his ex-wife are in direct conflict with his original self- evaluation of both being capable of understanding, and engaging in that enigma known as true love. Mel is, in many cases, the Ed to his ex-wife. Whereas Ed engaged in the violent act of dragging Terri throughout the apartment by her ankles, Mel describes, with almost childlike delight, how he has fantasized about playing the starring role in her murder. Mel does not seem like the type of man who would commit such a deed. He does, however, consider how good it would feel to seek revenge against Marjorie in retaliation for her “crimes” against his heart. Therefore, rather than fondly reminiscing, or even grieving at the lost love between him and his ex-wife, he instead resorts to anger and resentment, neither of which is characteristic of the type of “love” he so dogmatically professes to
4). Nick’s assessment and criticism toward Jordan, Tom, and Daisy also show his skeptical and logical outlook on others around him. This tone shows Nick’s struggle between being like the emotionless and careless people around him (like Tom) or to be his own hopeful and romantic man (following
... eventually realizes that there is absolutely no way to control whom you will love or when one will fall love. Xuela admits, “It is sad that unless you are born a god, your life from its beginning, is a mystery to you.” (Kincaid 202). The love that both Janie and Xuela feel, testifies to the incalculable and expected, nature of love.
Love has many definitions and can be interpreted in many different ways. William Maxwell demonstrates this in his story “Love”. Maxwell opens up his story with a positive outlook on “Love” by saying, “Miss Vera Brown, she wrote on the blackboard, letter by letter in flawlessly oval palmer method. Our teacher for fifth grade. The name might as well have been graven in stone” (1). By the end of the story, the students “love” for their teachers no longer has a positive meaning, because of a turn in events that leads to a tragic ending. One could claim that throughout the story, Maxwell uses short descriptive sentences with added details that foreshadow the tragic ending.
Terri, Mel's wife, was once married to an abusive man, who '...went on dragging me (Terri) around the living room. My head kept knocking on things.... What do you do with love like that?.... People are different, Mel. Sure, sometimes he may have acted crazy. Okay. But he loved me. In his own way maybe, but he loved me.'; (pp 110-111) To the reader, it seems hard to believe that there could be love in a relationship where one partner physically abuses the other. However, in Terri's case, both Terri and her ex-husband felt that they were in love. This coincides with the author's theme that early on in a r...
Notably, the husband tries to bring Ann reassurance, but is unable to convey, “The husband sat in the chair beside her. He wanted to say something else. But there was no saying what it should be. He took her hand and put in his lap,” (52). As much as the husband longs to comfort his wife in this situation, he is not able because he is also muddled by the event. Like the baker, the husband can not verbally bring Ann the clarity she needs. However, Carver describes a different form of communication in the way the husband holds his wife hand. Sometimes human touch is the best way to communicate between one another, when words seem to be impossible. As Ann’s stress grows the best offer her husband can bring is for her to go home and take a bath. Both Ann and her husband find comfort in the normalcy of their home. Moreover, as Ann goes home to calm down she receives a phone call that leaves her and the reader in a state of disarray, “‘Yes,’ she said. ‘This is Mrs. Weiss. Is it about Scotty?’ she said. ‘Scotty,’ the voice said. ‘It is about Scotty,’ the voice said. ‘It has to do with Scotty, yes,’” (56). This exchange between Ann and the voice reveals the clarity Ann has wished for throughout the story. The voice repetition of “Scotty” hints at the theme of clear communication in the sense that the call has to do with her son. During the short story, Ann is desperate for word
From his career as a cardiologist and his definition of love in the beginning of the story, Mel seems to be a very intelligent and educated person. However, as the story progresses, Mel, Terri, Nick and Laura got more and more drunk. The drunk they got, the more they seemed confused about what true love is. When Mel and his friend were drunk, Mel started to give examples of an old couple to support his definition of love, but at the end, he seemed confused, and he couldn’t clearly define what love is because he was drunk. Furthermore, Mel was talking about the old couple and how they were nearly close to death in car accident, and then he ended up depression. Mel talked about his first wife, and he mentioned “If I am not praying she’ll get married again I am praying she’ll get herself stung to death by swarm of fucking bees” (Carver 683). I think when Mel ...
After analyzing Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” it is easy to see that there are several different ideas concerning true love that the characters in the story are in dispute over. Terri’s idea of real love is the most valid out of the group at the table. All of the members of the group are rather confused as to what real love is. Terri is included as one of the confused. However, I believe that she is the closest to understanding what love is. A key piece of evidence demonstrating her understanding of love is her remark to Laura and Nick. She scolds the couple for basing their relationship on physical aspects, rather than emotion or passion. Terri, like the rest of the party, is on her second marriage. Her first husband was an abusive man that beat her, and even dragged her by her ankles around their living room. Terri’s current husband, Mel, is a cardiologist that believes in spiritual love, and that between spouses, people are barren and hollow inside, and that he could be married to any other empty person without difference. Mel is rather shielded from emotion between spouses. His only real love lies with his children, unfortunately Mel allows his conflict with his ex wife to block him from calling his them. Terri does love Mel, but she reminisces about her time with Ed. Terri realizes that Ed was full of emotion, and that he was just befuddled and chaotic in his methods of sharing his feelings....
After a more detailed examination of the stories, however, it becomes evident that each individual is striving to find love. Though love is a universal goal, each person's criteria for a meaningful, fulfilling and loving relationship varies. This is clearly demonstrated by the different situations in which the characters find themselves. The conventional, stereotypical, and almost cliché demonstration of love can be seen in stories A & D, where the characters simply "fall in love and get married".
This goes along with what I stated before on “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” how we don’t know everyone’s complete background to why they would think love is to them. In Arthur M. Saltzman’s reading of “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” suggests that “The saving grace of love is its elasticity” (1571). Something I also support since Mel and Terri have both been remarried, undergone hardships like divorce and tragedy. Proving that even though love is not everlasting it is elastic in the way that it is retainable. A.O. Scott’s criticism on “Looking for Raymond Carver” states on page 1576, how the narrator of “Cathedral” has an epiphany after drawing the cathedral for the blind man. The narrator stating “It was like nothing else in my life up to now”. I do agree with what Scott is saying since before in the beginning of the story the narrator didn’t like
Cummings theme of how strong someones love can be appeals to readers minds, because everyone wants that connection with their partner, That undying love for one another. Some people long for a love...