In Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” there was one theme that was consistent throughout the whole story. It is that not one of the four characters of the story could explain what love is. Each character in the story each had their own ideas to what they wanted love to be but not what it actually was. Whether it was suicidal love, abusive love, or just physical love, each person in the story held fast to what they believed love to be, even if they could not explain why.
One of the main characters, Mel, attempts time and again to identify the meaning of love, but he never forms any clear conclusion. Each time he is about to say something important he gets sidetrack or forgets for a little while what he was about to say. For example, he tells a story about an old couple who almost die in a car crash, but half way through he gets distracted. When he finally gets to the conclusion of the story—the old man miserable because he could not see his wife—confuses the others. When he tells everyone that he will explain what exactly love is, he instead strays into a jumbled reflection about how it is bizarre that he and the others have been in love repeatedly. His efforts to illuminate the nature of love tapers off into a bitter lecture against his ex-wife. He spends a lot of his time saying what love is not and not saying what it actual is.In the story Mel says “There was a time when I thought I loved my first wife more than life itself. But now I hate her guts.” This means that he never really loved her in the first place. If he did then he would still be in love with her now despite the fact that they are not together anymore.
On the other hand, Laura and Nick consider what they have is true love, but they never say what a clear definition of love is or explain why they’re so sure of their beliefs. In fact they hardly say much in story. They only