Raymond Carver's Where I M Calling From

Everyone feels love, whether from your family or friends. It is the warmth and compassion in relationships that people strive for. On the contrary, love is grueling; times of exhaustion where love cannot move on and there is no hope. There is never an ideal relationship, because people have different opinions causing arguments and problems. Regarding this, failures in love often end with illusions or infatuation in marriages. Raymond Carver sends this message in his short stories, “Where I’m Calling From”. He depicts this message by displaying the difficulties in relationships and the obstruction of love. Particularly, when people become unthinking and opportunistic they take more what they can have in a relationship, then spoiling what they

Robert wants to feel the narrator’s wife’s face to have a sense of her physical appearance, and she writes about it: “She told me he touched his fingers to every part of her face…. She even tried to write a poem about it.” (Carver 1). The narrator said. The narrator’s wife cares for Robert enough to let him feel her face, and also help each other like family. She writes a poem as well to share her feeling of that time, and knows that it is important. Raymond Carver writes about this in a positive and loving way to display the kind-hearted aspects of love. Concerning this subject of kind love, in the short story “What we talk about when we talk about love” Terri a character speaks about her past relationship. She says that her previous boyfriend was in love with her so much that he tries to kill her. Terri argues with her husband Mel that it is love: “Say what you want to, but I know it was…. He loved me.” (Carver 1). Terri argues. Mel may not believe this is love, however this is love. Terri’s previous boyfriend loves her so much that he tries to kill her to never lose her. Similar to the greatest love story “Romeo and Juliet”

The man seems to get rid of everything in his possession, even personal items like his records. He also maybe trying to get rid of his past and everything he owns at the time because of regrettable or a harsh past. In his reality all that he has is gone, and he is lonely as he drinks with the couple. Another example in the short story “What we talk about when we talk about love” there are both positive and negative aspects. Focusing on the harsh reality of love, Terri asks her friend Laura about her relationship and says that it will not always be when you are in love: “Going on a year and a half,’ Laura said. “Oh now” Terri said. “Wait a while.”” (Carver 4). Terri tells Laura love does not last forever. Also she implies that the reality of love is never the same and love eventually fades. This may show that her current relationship is not the best one, and there are time where she does not love her husband. Finally, in “The student’s wife” the couple Mike and Nan are in bed trying to sleep. Nan finds it difficult to go to sleep, so she talks to her husband. However, Mike shows little care for his wife: “I wish you’d leave me alone, Nan,’ he said.’ (Carver 40). Mike does not