Raymond Carver, Analytical paper - Essay Example

The story tries to explore the notion of different people about love, the uncertainty they face in their love life and the common ideological conflicts they face. In addition, one can see a certain degree of effort from the part of Carver to show the hollowness of the so called ‘true-love’ and its short term nature. The basic ideology the writer tries to express through this story in which nothing happens seems to be that every ‘true love’ contains a certain degree of selfishness as a basic element, and this selfishness haunts every person at varying degrees.

In the story, four people sit around a table in an afternoon and start discussion on the topic love while drinking gin. The four people, Terri, her husband Mel, the writer and his wife Laura engage in a discussion on the true meaning of love, though Mel leads the discussion. While Terri and Mel seem to have differences in opinion on the subject, and a greater degree of insecurity too, the other people appear strong in their attachment. However, one can see exhibition of selfishness reaching the extent of violence and even killing exhibited by some characters.

The first factor that needs to be analyzed seems to be the degree of selfishness expressed by each character. The former love of Terri deserves that place. His love turned a physical obsession with violence. The man loved Terri so much that he even tried to kill her. Terri knows it was love and even now, after marrying Mel, she says ‘I know it was’. As she says it, one can see a rise in the feeling of insecurity faced by Mel and he even strongly argues that true love is spiritual in nature and it has nothing to do with physical.

One can see his humble efforts to prove that what Terri got from her first lover was not love. However, Terri seems to possess little idea about the feeling of insecurity her husband faces, or is totally neglecting it, stating again and again that her first lover loved her very much. It seems from the story that the couple, though sit and drink together, lives in two different poles and have little common consensus. The story makes it clear that though Mel does not like his wife meeting her former lover, she visited him again on his death bed.

She accepts the fact that she and Mel spent many days in the fear of that man attacking them, but, even then, she keeps a ‘soft corner’ for him against the wishes of her husband. However, she feels happy, contented, and satisfied in the fact that her husband does not like to talk to his first wife Majorie. She happily explains to others that Mel wishes that Majorie be married again or dies. Thus, the writer succeeds in picturizing how selfishness and obsession are intermingled in the feeling of love.

In addition, it shows the female ability to feel for two people at the same time. Terri, based on her personal convenience, jumps from one to another totally ignoring the impact of her activities on the others. Terri even now knows that her first lover loved her and knows very well that Mel loves her. However, she still goes on keeping sentiments for the former lover and yet prefers to live with Mel as it does not involve physical violence. Thus, she adopts a position that is good to no one. Her behavior seems annoying Mel a great deal and that seems to be the reason for his admiration of the narrator’s wife Laura and saying to Laura “if I did not have Terri, I would fall in love with you”.

However, this statement instantly hurts Terri and