Carver's seemingly simple story focuses on the "yours, mine, and ours" aspect of relationships. The couple is separating and as the man goes to leave he demands from his lover the "ours," the baby. Up to this point, Carver emphasizes the separation of possessions by saying that the man was "putting his things into the suitcase," while consistently throughout the story the couple's child is referred to as "the baby." A small change in article makes all the difference. Both parents have become so selfish and wrapped up in their own fight that the baby they created together has become only a pawn in their bitter battle against one another. Like in some instances of high emotion, both sides are trying to keep themselves from losing something or getting the "raw end of the deal." Their instinct to save themselves is overriding their instinct as parents concerned for the welfare of their child.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Popular Mechanics
"Popular Mechanics" by Raymond Carver
Carver's seemingly simple story focuses on the "yours, mine, and ours" aspect of relationships. The couple is separating and as the man goes to leave he demands from his lover the "ours," the baby. Up to this point, Carver emphasizes the separation of possessions by saying that the man was "putting his things into the suitcase," while consistently throughout the story the couple's child is referred to as "the baby." A small change in article makes all the difference. Both parents have become so selfish and wrapped up in their own fight that the baby they created together has become only a pawn in their bitter battle against one another. Like in some instances of high emotion, both sides are trying to keep themselves from losing something or getting the "raw end of the deal." Their instinct to save themselves is overriding their instinct as parents concerned for the welfare of their child.
Carver's seemingly simple story focuses on the "yours, mine, and ours" aspect of relationships. The couple is separating and as the man goes to leave he demands from his lover the "ours," the baby. Up to this point, Carver emphasizes the separation of possessions by saying that the man was "putting his things into the suitcase," while consistently throughout the story the couple's child is referred to as "the baby." A small change in article makes all the difference. Both parents have become so selfish and wrapped up in their own fight that the baby they created together has become only a pawn in their bitter battle against one another. Like in some instances of high emotion, both sides are trying to keep themselves from losing something or getting the "raw end of the deal." Their instinct to save themselves is overriding their instinct as parents concerned for the welfare of their child.
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