`` What We Talk About When We Talking About Love `` By...

What is love? Love can come from that of a friendship, a romantic relationship, the unconditional love that God has for one, or simply one person adoring another. These are all considered, in one form or another, love. However, as Mel McGinnis has asked: â€Å"what do any of us really know about love?† (333). Is love real, or is it just a figment of our imagination? What does the word LOVE even mean? The indefinability of love is the overlaying theme in the story â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,† written by Raymond Carver. This story focuses on the examples two couples, Mel and Terri, and their newlywed friends Laura and Nick, use to discuss the meaning of love. While sitting around a kitchen table drinking a bottle of gin, the two pairs discuss what love is as the day passes them by, and although they never reach a consensus, they do provide excellent examples allowing the reader to draw conclusions on the meaning of love. However, as the theme suggest s, no matter the amount of examples or time spent trying to figure it out, love can never be given one general definition because there are many different interpretations of what love actually is. This is a great take away point for college students to learn because college is where students are trying to find the meaning of love and life. Through characterizations and ironic situations, love can be broken down in to two different categories of unconditional and conditional love, and while this story mostly coversShow MoreRelatedWhat We Talking About When We Talk About Love By Raymond Carver1677 Words   |  7 PagesLove can be defined in many ways, but does anyone know the true meaning of it? In Raymond Carver’s short-story What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, he shows us the realism behind the true meaning of love with a menacing tone. This story particularly shows how different people may have different definitions of it that reflect who they are as a person by usi ng strangle dialogue given by the characters and situations that reveal symbolic items. From the ironic remarks and slight rebuttals inRead MoreThe Sojourner And What We Talking About When We Talk About Love By Carson Mccullers And Raymond Carver1291 Words   |  6 PagesIn the short stories title The Sojourner and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, written by Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver respectively, the writers tell a story about love and its changing attitudes. The main characters in these stories all vary in regard to their personalities and their individual idiosyncrasies, however, the message being conveyed by McCullers and Carver is that of the changing nature of love, and how it can impact an individual’s sense of self in respect to how oneRead MoreRaymond Carver1583 Words   |  7 PagesRaymond Carver (1938-1988) was a poet and a simple realist writer of short stories. His prose addresses the average working-class citizen. Bill Mullen describes the book that contains the short story â€Å"What We Talk About We Talk About Love† to the â€Å"distinctly post-modern fate of contemporary working-class Americans† (Bloom). The writings are depressing and riddled with failures in life. The textbook calls his school of writing â€Å"Alcoholic Blue-Collar Minimalist Hyperrealism† (Bayam). This is evidentRead MoreImportance of Symbolism in What We Talk About When We Talk About Love1027 Words   |  5 Pagesmake. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a short story about four friends trying to find the true meaning of love, trying to prove points through experience. In What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver uses very strong symbolism to help convey the theme of the story. Instantly, it is easy to recognize that Carvers story will be one on love, since the title clearly mentions it. He introduces the characters, two married couples, who are having a discussion about loveRead MoreEssay about Raymond Carver (what We Talk About When We Talk About Love)892 Words   |  4 Pages Mel McGinnis of â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love† seems like that one guy that everyone seems to know. He stands out from others; he’s unique. You either love him or hate him. Mel is very much like one of my good friends. They are both very individualistic and hey are both annoying drunks. They are both interesting characters though. I think the author Raymond Carver created the character Mel based off someone he knew. Carver created Mel for one reason or anotherRead MoreThe Many Sides of Dr. Melvin R. McGinnis1475 Words   |  6 PagesRaymond Carvers short story â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love† leaves the reader feeling as if they have sat down at the table with a bottle of Gin and experienced first hand the effects of alcoholism and depression. In the original version of this story the â€Å"Beginners† Carver carefully crafts the many sides of an alcoholic personality developing strong knowable characters. The fundamental personalities are left fairly intact from the original version. It should be noted that the feelingsRead MoreIt’S Interesting How Everyone Has A Differing And Personal1659 Words   |  7 Pagespersonal definition of love. Love is an indefinable heap of confusion. I guess I could say â€Å"in my opinion†, love is connection, trust, affection, and openness†¦love is the most extraordinary and satisfying expe rience that we can have as human beings. At some points in our life we will all experience love whether it’s for a human being or maybe just for your dog. Why is this question so hard to answer? I perceive love in a positive way but on the other hand Raymond perceives love differently. That’s okayRead MoreEssay on Raymond Carvers What We Talk About When We Talk About Love1355 Words   |  6 PagesLove is undoubtedly one of the most frequently explored subjects in the literary world. Whether the focus is a confession of love, criticism of love, tale of love, or simply a tale about what love is, such literary pieces force readers to question the true meaning and value of love. Raymond Carver accomplishes this in his short story â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.† As the unadorned setting and the personality of each character unfold, the reader realizes that Carver is making a graveRead MoreThe Complexity of Love in Raymond Carver’s What W e Talk About When We Talk About Love520 Words   |  2 Pagesto get wrapped up talking about is love. And it always has been. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,† the four characters spend an entire afternoon discussing the simple word that has countless interpretations. Carver uses this story to convey how not everyone shares the same definition of love. He uses Mel, Terri, and Nick and Laura to show just a few of the ways love can be seen, expressed, or develops through stages. Mel McGinnis views love in a handful of differentRead MoreEssay about Cathedral Character Analysis1414 Words   |  6 Pagesthe story Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, the narrator is conflicted with issues of inner-demons that are manifested in a blind man whom he perceives as a danger to his marriage. The narrator in this story is a good example of an anti-hero showing negative characteristics while never actually being a bad guy. This gives the idea that he is very humanistic character. That being said, he is a flawed character who is just trying to please his wife while not giving up what he wants. In the end he realizes