Raymond Carver’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a thought provoking short story attempting to answer or ask “What is love?” The entire story takes place around the kitchen table. The four main characters, or two couples, in the story are Mel and Terri and Nick and Laura. The story never gives us much detail about the characters but Carver gave the readers enough insight to understand where they are coming from. The characters in the story all come from different pasts and all have much different beliefs in love. Carver gives insights such as Mel went to seminary and that’s why he believed “spiritual love” is the only real love. Mel is the narrator of the story and much of the text is his opinion. He is a smart man who works as a cardiologist. He believed no one could really know what love is. He used marriage, divorce and death as examples. Carver represents several odd views in an attempt to define love. Mel’s wife Terri believed her ex loved her through physical abuse. While Nick and Laura are still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship their love is questioned by Mel since they have never gone through any hard times together. All the different views on the definition of love leave the reader feeling awkward and unsettled at the end of the story. The author ends with a silence that leaves the reader craving an answer. Carvers views and questions about love are expressed through this story. He uses the characters in unique ways to represent different beliefs in love.
Reading stories like these make me so glad I am a Christian. Without the Lord, life and love makes no sense at all. I believe love is sacrifice and commitment.
Your so right when you said Carver leaves us as the readers awkward and unsettled. I think Carver really wanted his audience to question and puzzle what love really means and what view we hold. Love is sacrifice and commitment, but its not limited to that either. I think Love is selfless and full of trust and faith in order to work.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about the fact that without knowing God's love - you can not truly know what real love is. We are so lucky to know the truth so we can truly experience real life and love.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this story does end a little awkward and it leaves more questions than answers. The story shows that some people's view on love can be clouded by past experiences.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the unsettled feeling Carver leaves us in this story. it seems like you fully took in the reading and appied it to your own beliefs. I really liked when you said "Without the Lord, life and love makes no sense at all. I believe love is sacrifice and commitment."
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