Raymond Carver's A Serious Talk

Raymond Carver’s portrayal of the setting, the physical environment and the homes his characters inhabit completely correlate to a sentimental connection the characters have in their particular stories. Common themes of conflict, jealousy, acceptance, loss, and separation signify the characters struggle within the stories, more so relating to the differences with their significant others or their family. Carver’s use of household separation and the seasonal influence within the story “A Serious Talk” signifies the characters indifferences as the story progresses. As for the story “Popular Mechanics”, the setting helps foreshadow the relationship on the brink of a devastating occurrence/interpretation. Furthermore, this paper will identify the significance of Carver’s use of the setting in determining the characters relationship in the stories previously mentioned.

Richard Carver’s story “A Serious Talk” depicts the separation of a household during Christmas. In the beginning of the story, we are able to understand the

In the Story “Popular Mechanics”, Carver demonstrates the devastating collapse of a household. The setting presented foreshadows the entirety of the story, “Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water. Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the backyard. Cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too”. The symbolism presented initially marks the collapse of the characters relationship. The conflict of the two characters begins with a verbal altercation ultimately leading to physical dispute over their baby. “The kitchen light gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder”. The darkness overwhelming the scene initially marks the loss of not only the characters relationships but the innocence of their