Love And Raymond Carver

In the short story "What We Talk about When We Talk about Love" by Raymond Carver, the discussion of love and the life and relationships of four characters demonstrates different loves and how they relate to the same issues, the same ideas and the same difficulties people go through. The question is what love is the love people want.   In the short story the idea that is talked about is what love are the people really encountering between each other, and this is brought about in people showing certain actions and behaviors towards others that they might claim to be love but others feel it’s not.   This is an example of romantic love, love that people feel is real love but they are attracted to each other by physical desire. This is shown with Mel's and Terri’s point of view when Nick and Laura discuss their love.

The entire action of the story takes place over the course of an evening, when two married couples, Nick, who is the narrator Laura, Mel and Terri, sit around the kitchen table drinking gin and discussing the topic of ‘‘real love.’’ The morals between the two couples are contrasted through their gestures and interactions with one another. Nick and Laura are still in the stage of early love, and their behavior toward one another is affectionate and respectful. Mel and Terri, on the other hand, have been together for five years, and their courtesy to one another barely masks an established anger and resentment. Mel’s alcoholism, and increasing drunkenness over the course of the evening, sets a tone of increasingly intensified endanger to the whole conversation.

The first quote that supports my thesis is said by Terri to Laura and Nick which is               “You’re still on the honeymoon, for God’s sake”.   What Terri is saying is that nick and Laura are still all gaga for each other.   They are still in the kiddy love stage where they do little things to each other which they feel is love.   Nick and Laura were together a year and half so they are still...