When We Talk About Love Analysis

Love is a word that has various meanings according to people’s interpretations. Raymond Carver’s short story, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” focuses on the variations of love according to four friends. Each friend contributes their own input as to what love is as they sit around the table drinking gin. As they become more intoxicated, their ideas as to what love is becomes muddled, and they even begin to question their own ideas of the meaning of love. So, what is love? Each character presents their own idea of what is love by discussing their previous relationships and through their dialogue with their current partners.

The first person who discusses the idea of love is Mel, the heart surgeon. He was previously married, and

Mel was called to the hospital after the old couple suffered injuries from a car accident. After suffering multiple injuries, the couple had “casts and bandages, head to foot,” (Carver 151) so they had eye, nose and mouth holes cut out for them. Even though both the old man and woman were going to survive their injuries, the old man went through a depression. Mel could not comprehend why he was sad, so he asked the old man to which he replied that, “he couldn’t see [his wife] through his eye-holes” (Carver 151). Mel goes on to say, “the man’s heart was breaking because he couldn’t turn his goddamn head and see his goddamn wife” (Carver 151). These lines indicate that the old couple experience true love for each other. The tiniest bit of affection is shown through the old man’s torment of not being able to see his wife’s eyes. Regardless of his own health and well-being, he wanted to be free of the casts to simply gaze upon his wife. So, is this true love? This idea of true love shows that not only the physical presence is what satisfies him, but the slightest sight of her makes him happy. True love is much deeper than the what any of the characters experienced in their