Carver certainly has an interesting aspect about love and how people talk about it. While reading the story I almost felt like I was their in the conversation. What is love? Why do we love? Are different types of love to be accepted or is there only one way to love? If someone dies and we are left behind, it's possible to love another, but how is that possible if we are only meant for one soul mate?All of the questions that arise in this text are very real. Many people out there today think of all of these questions while in love. Whether it's love for a spouse, parent, extended family, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even a pet. As humans we all share in a couple of basic things: life, love and loss. And through love, the other two things are experienced, so this text is very eye opening in that people talk about this stuff over the simplest meal with the best of friends and not just in a room with their therapist or alone with their spouse. It's a real issue that needs deep understanding.
There were four characters: Terri, Laura, Mel and Nick. Terri believed that Ed, her ex-boyfriend, loved her even though he harmed her. She felt that Ed showed his love that way. Mel, the man to which Terri's been in a realtionship with for five years, disagrees with her the whole time about Ed loving her. He argued that, that is not the way people show love. Then when Terri kept backing up the fact that Ed loved her despite his abuse, Mel started asking questions to the whole dinner party which included things like, "Do any of us really know what love is? ...we're just beginners at love." Which I suppose simply implies that because everyone is different on this earth, there are going to be different versions of what love is. So, is anyone really wrong in feeling one way as opposed to another? Mel was mostly drunk throughout his "schpeal" about love, but I suppose since alcohol is a depressant many people may bare their souls and tell what's really bothering them at their lowest point while drinking an alcoholic beverage.
Terri still would not budge about the love between her and Ed. She maintained that it was love and Mel just kept asking questions. While Mel asked his questions & Terri maintained her seemingly wreaked love, Nick and Laura shared love through intimate little touches across the table. Through their body language they give off the image of happiness and blissfulness. In someways while Mel is speaking, you can tell in the tone of the text that he's a bit frustrated, because Mel himself had been married once before and it didn't work out. He was cynical toward Nick and Laura's seemingly "blissful" marriage.
Towards the end of the passage everything slows down to the point where no one speaks. It all of a sudden becomes this long awkward pause where no one can lead off into another conversation. In this sense, love became a depressing topic for Mel & Terri, but for Nick and Laura it was a good topic to which became somewhat sour when Mel and Terri told about their past love problems.
Love is a beautiful thing, but sometimes people morph it into dark and cynical situations.
