Comparing The Setting In A Serious Talk And Popular Mechanics By Raymond Carver

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In conclusion, Raymond Carver’s use of the setting helps identify the characters’ relationships in the stories “A Serious Talk” and “Popular Mechanics”. In both stories there is a sense of separation among households. The setting of the conditions within the households help dictate the outcome of the stories. In “A Serious Talk” the narrator demonstrates the breaking point in the household once Burt is no longer capable of taking care of the family. Also, there are certain indications highlighting the collapse of the relationship as the backyard is used to underline a key importance. “He moved the curtain aside and looked at the backyard. He saw a bicycle without a front wheel standing upside down. He saw weeds growing along the redwood fence”.