My initial reaction to this piece was one of confusion. I realized that there was a ton of symbolism in the story but it was not apparent to me in my first read through. I had to read this story again to start picking up on a lot of the minor details that really mean more then we are lead to believe. I liked how Carver packs a lot of details and meaning in this story, despite how short it is. My parents are divorced so I understand the unfortunate nature of a couple breaking up and getting into fights.
I felt that the use of symbolism was very extent in this story. Everything from the weather to the words used by the couple can easily be interpreted as meaning something else. The gloomy weather stands for the unfortunate scene we are about to read about. It can also stand for how Carver feels about the entire subject of divorce, hence he is setting a tone for the story. The action of the mother putting down the picture stands for her letting go of the relationship. She is describes as picking up the picture and examining it, maybe having second thoughts about the separation between the two. She then puts down the picture frame, face down, as a way of representing the end of the relationship and the family as a whole. The fight between the couple over the baby can be interpreted as the unfortunate act of violence that commonly goes hand-in-hand with divorce and the break up of families. This may be a way for Carver to express what happened in his family during his childhood.
Being that this short story was full of symbolism, the interpretations of the events can vary dramatically. My question is what did other people interpret the baby as being in the story? Did the baby stand for something more then just a part of the plot or was it Carver's way of expressing something much deeper?
Sam, I always enjoy reading your comments.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the baby represented their hopes and dreams for their future. Or, maybe they each wanted to keep a memory of the good parts of the relationship. And what about the broken flowerpot? Another symbol of a broken relationship?
I think the baby was alomst like a trophy in this story. They both wanted it because it was a piece of both of them,and i think it did represent the good parts of the relationship, but I also think taking the baby as a way of realy hurtting the other one and almost winning over the other. Toni I do think the broken flowerpot was another form of symbolism . Of their broken relationship.
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought to my attention the setting, and its meaning in the story. I feel that I overlooked that aspect. To be honest, the story really confused me. Answering the questions in our assigned homework helped me to understand, but I still feel a little confused about some aspects. I found your description to be very helpful though! I still wonder about the title of the story. It doesn't make sense to me. It threw me off while reading, I kept wondering if the baby was really a robot or something... What do you think about the title?
ReplyDeleteI agree about there being a lot of details packed into this story. I thought it was pretty dense. Initially I thought maybe the child was killed in the struggle but the Kings reading made me think the mother just kept the baby. The title is confusing though. i think its the authors interpretation of how most relationships work, most marriages end in divorce.to him and a lot of people these are just the way things go in relationships.
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