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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood of “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” is both calm and tense. The story opens with two couples sitting at a kitchen table drinking and talking about love while the sun creates a “spacious light of ease and generosity” around them. The story is narrated from Nick’s perspective, and Nick is there with his girlfriend Laura, whom he has been dating for a year and a half and is in love with. All of these elements contribute to a sense of calm and ease at the beginning of the story.
As the narrative continues, readers start to pick up on some tension, especially as Mel begins to dominate the conversation, at times mocking his wife Terri for her belief that her abusive ex-boyfriend Ed truly loved her, at other times expressing disbelief over an elderly couple’s love of each other after decades together. Mel, along with the rest of the characters, gets increasingly drunk and incoherent as the story progresses and, rather than ending up in a place of clarity or resolution about what love is, the group of friends ends up sitting silently together in the dark.
While this may seem like a sad or despairing ending, Carver intentionally leaves the mood somewhat ambiguous, having Nick note in the final lines of the story that, in the silence, he could “hear everyone’s heart.” In this way, Carver possibly plants a seed of hope and ease, suggesting that perhaps, in letting go of trying to find words to capture or describe love, the characters have actually come closer to it.
Related Themes:
