Introduction
Widely reputed for his mastery in infusing understatements in his short stories, Raymond Carver (1938-1988) is considered to have reignited the art of writing by the time of his death in 1988. As a poet and a writer of short stories, his works were characteristically multi-themed and could explore a broad spectrum of topical issues on the mundane dimensions of everyday middle-class life, such as infidelity, divorce, grief, escapism, insecurity, and loneliness (Kita 385). Carver depicted events of his life in an emphatic manner. While refraining from directly chronicling his life in his short stories, he created relatable characters who share comparable traits and experiences (Carver, “Jerry and Molly” 126). Using two of Carver’s most critically acclaimed fictional works – “Jerry and Molly and Sam” and “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” – this paper shows how his biography manifests in these stories. The short stories depict how Carver suffered from internal conflicts in his early adulthood, went through infidelity and break-up while transitioning to late adulthood, and ultimately entered late adulthood, where he had become more emotionally and financially stable.
Internal conflicts in early adulthood
Aspects of Carver’s biography, like how he struggled with finding his identity as a writer, husband, and father during his early adulthood, are evident in his fictional works. Incidentally, Carver makes this obvious in ”Jerry and Molly and Sam,” where he develops characters who have internal conflicts that are evocative of his early adulthood (“Jerry and Molly” 125). For instance, Carver writes in ”Jerry and Molly and Sam” that ”there were dogs and there were dogs. Some dogs you just couldn’t do anything with” (“Jerry and Molly” 137). In a way, it is possible that Carver wanted to depict the unhappy life in his youthful years when he experienced disillusionment after aimlessly searching for happiness and identity as a writer.
As it turns out, Carver depicts his state of mind in his boisterous thirties when he didn’t seem to believe in anything like politics or religion, and all he wanted was to look deeper into the extent of his deprivation and guilt (“Jerry and Molly” 122). Indeed, as King observes, during his early years, Carver led a formless life, whereby he could drift from one town to the next or one job to the next, often at the detriment of his family. This is the kind of life that he portrays in “Jerry and Molly and Sam.” In this particular short story, Carver addresses the theme of job insecurity through his character Al (Carver, “Jerry and Molly” 122). In the same way, he was worried about his job security; Al also felt insecure about his future at Aerojet.
Sharing this perspective, King remarks in his review that while Carver was, without doubt, a brilliant man, he was a self-destructive man who was more often than not in a drunken stupor. In King’s view, Carver, like other “out-of-control boozers” thought that they could find a cure for their crises in alcohol. In the fall of 1973, while having a stint as an instructor at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Carver would do nothing but drink alongside his sworn “drinking buddy” John Cheever (King). Carver uses Al to depict his alcoholism after losing control of his life (“Jerry and Molly and Sam” 129). In “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” Mel is also an alcoholic. He is obviously drunk, and this drives him into a bitter exchange with Terri during their conversation (Carver, “What We Talk” 298). Therefore, the theme of alcoholism also seems to manifest at this point, indicating Carver’s struggles with internal conflict.
Infidelity and life after a break-up in the transition to late adulthood
Aspects of Carver’s biography, like unfortunate events of infidelity and his eventual break-up with Maryanne, are also depicted in his fictional works. In effect, the theme of infidelity prevails in “Jerry and Molly and Sam” as much as it taints Carver’s marriage life. King reveals moments of infidelity in Carver’s life. He comments that as much as Carver was unfaithful to his wife, he was too protective of admitting that Maryann should also make it her excuse to be unfaithful. Apart from being protective, he was a violent man. For instance, at a friend’s party in 1975, Maryann was engaged in “a tipsy flirtation” (King). Carver was provoked by the incident. He hit Maryann with a wine bottle and almost killed her. In truth, as much as Carver was adulterous, he could not entertain the thought that his wife should be with another man.
Similarly, the theme of conflict in the family manifests in “Jerry and Molly and Sam.” Here, Carver depicts the kind of conflict that characterized his marriage with Maryann (“Jerry and Molly and Sam” 123). In fact, Carver tended to feel insecure as a result of Carver’s infidelity. In the same way, Al’s wife, Betty, feels insecure and confronts Al, saying, “It’s us! It’s us! I know you don’t love me anymore –goddamn you! – but you don’t even love the kids” (Carver, “Jerry and Molly” 123). Betty’s statement also reveals evidence of Al’s adulterous life. This is even more evident when it emerges that Al is adulterous and that “he didn’t know what to do about it” (Carver, “Jerry and Molly” 123). It also becomes apparent that Carver was indeed adulterous. He had a clandestine affair with Tess Gallagher, an issue that forced Maryann to file for a divorce (King). The affair saw the end of a 25-year-old marriage.
Still, Carver takes the initiative to depict how his love life turned out to be calm with Gallagher after the stormy relationship with Maryanne. This is evident in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” where he presents contrasts in relationships as a result of the difference in the depth of affection (Carver, “What We Talk” 290). Hence, events of Carver’s life are covered in his short stories.
Emotional security and financial stability in late adulthood
Aspects of Carver’s biography, such as how he transformed from an emotionally insecure and unstable early adulthood to a more mature and emotionally stable middle adulthood, can also be identified in his fictional works. In effect, this is evident in how Carver gradually transformed the tone and mood of his short stories from an unhappy and desperate one in his early adulthood to a happier and more confident one in his middle adulthood (Max). For instance, there is an apparent tone of despair in Carver’s early short stories like “Jerry and Molly and Sam,” which was published in 1972. This tone seems to have gradually changed in the course of his life and success as he became older, more mature, and more prosperous (Max). This is evident in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” which was published almost a decade later. The happy tone is also evident in his later work “Cathedral,” which was published in 1983 (Carver, “Cathedral” 209). It is possible that as Carver became a more successful writer later in life, he began to be more resilient and exuded it in his stories.
Put in a different way; Carver had become wealthier and happier. His later short stories like “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” which was published in 1981, indicate that he was shifting toward positively toned writing. Yet, this also reveals that Carver’s later life had a more ambient atmosphere that was characterized by greater reflectiveness. In this particular short story, two sets of married people – Mel and Terri and Nick and Laura – chat freely and boisterously regarding the whims of love (Carver, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” 293). To this extent, this short story is so evocative of his life because he has outgrown his immaturity and is more aware of how to control his temptations and emotions.
Conclusion
Overall, Carver’s short stories seem to have followed the script of his life, as the characters in his story are truly comparable in traits and deeds to those he encountered throughout his lifetime. They reveal how Carver struggles with internal conflicts in his early adulthood and subsequently went through a divorce while transitioning to late adulthood and how he eventually became more emotionally mature during his late adulthood just before his death. In reality, aspects of Carver’s biography on how he struggled with job insecurity and emotional insecurity are also evident in his fictional works. In his later works, however, aspects of his happy life are evident when there was no concrete internal conflict or events of violence. In fact, in his later works, his characters could reason more maturely and pensively without resorting to violence.
Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “Jerry and Molly and Sam.” Short Cuts. Vintage Books, 1993, pp. 122- 137.
Carver, Raymond. “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” Short Cuts. Vintage Books, 1993, pp. 290-300.
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Short Cuts. Vintage Books, 1993, pp. 209-228.
King, Stephen. “Raymond Carver’s Life and Stories.” The New York Times, 2009.
Kita, Viola. “Dirty Realism in Carver’s Work.” Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, vol 5, no 22, 2014, pp. 385-394.
Max, Daniel. “The Carver Chronicles.” The New York Times, 1998.