Summary of Popular Mechanics

      Popular Mechanics by Raymond Carver is a story about a couple fighting with each other for a baby. The man was going to leave, with his wife shouting aside. No matter how angry the woman became, the man kept silently packing his luggage until the woman took the picture of the baby away. The man realized he wanted the baby, which the woman didn’t agree so that the fighting broke up ending with the baby hurted.

      The writer didn’t give insight into their thoughts, nor did he make any statements. However, he described their actions and words objectively. The plot developed chronologically and the whole event happened in just a few hours. There were three characters, whose personalities were all static:  The irresponsible man, the rude woman and the poor baby. The language was colloquial, vivid and graphic, which made their images very symbol. The author focused on the linguistic descriptions of the woman, concise and accurate, which reflected the mood of the woman, at the same time, drove the story line.

      I appreciated the story, especially the descriptions of the environment. The author created a cold weather in the beginning of the story, which hinted the marriage became cold. The melting snow meant the end of the winter, symbolizing the end of the marriage and the melting meant something was going to change. Outside was getting dark, also meant the relationship became worse. However, if I were the man, I wouldn’t have fought with my wife because it didn’t work. Indeed, it would hurt the baby.