Interpreting The Short Story 'Popular Mechanics' By Raymond Carver

Popular Mechanics

In the short story, “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver, the narrator describes a couple that is constantly arguing. The narrator never tells the reader the reason for the couples separation, but it’s obvious that they are mad at each other for some reason. Raymond Carver uses bad weather as a setting that foreshadows the story's conflict. Since everybody can relate to the weather and the way it behaves it’s definitely is a powerful mood and tone setter. I argue that the weather is key to interpreting this particular story because it sets the tone and foreshadows the story’s conflict . The imagery in the first line indicates that the story could turn nasty, “Early that day weather turned and snow was melting into dirty water”( Carver 324). By doing so, Raymond Carver is putting a very graphic representation that everything that comes in contact with this water is going to get dirty. The snow acts as a symbol since snow is usually white and white represents purity. The white snow represents the purity the couple once had, and the dirty water demonstrates how the couple’s relationship in slowly dying. As well as this day, that the reader can now sense has been a very long day with no true goal met whatsoever. Every

The reader is exposed to a gnarly scene as the father is left in physical possession of the baby while still trying to handle the fisted fingers of his wife who by now wants to react much more tougher. “The kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with no one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder”(Carver 325). By having no light in the kitchen, Raymond Carver uses weather again to demonstrate an aggressive and angry setting. This dispute is used to draw the reader’s attention toward the underlying message of the importance of