Write an essay focused on Raymond Carver’s short story collection, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. What is a central theme you see working
throughout the stories in the book? Explain how that theme is present through the elements of Character, Setting, Point of View and Imagery. Draw from at
least four stories from the collection.
- Remember that the elements of a short story include the following: Plot, Character, Setting, Point of View, Imagery, Language, and Theme. - One strategy for
determining a theme is to look at the stories that drew a strong response from you; not necessarily the ones that you liked, though that’s fine, but also the
ones you found confusing or strange or that resonated with you. - When drawing up a theme for Carver’s stories, avoid overly broad and vague statements like
“The stories are about love” or “The stories are about the problems of adultery.” A theme should be a specific claim about a topic the stories present. - Draw
from the stories themselves for specific textual support, namely quotes. you are critically analyzing the work and need to support any claims, observations,
and interpretations you make with concrete evidence from the stories. - Avoid summaries of the stories; assume your reader is already familiar with the
stories themselves, so what you are responsible for it explaining and supporting your argument about Carver’s collection
Sample Solution