The Short Story 'Popular Mechanics' By Raymond Carver

In the short story, “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver, two parents are having a fight that leads into a confrontation about who deserves to have control of the kid. The issues in the story raise is who is at fault for the marriage going downhill and who is more suited to gain custody of the child. This is backed by the basic elements of the story, such as the point of view, setting, and characters, to help reinforce the meaning that the story is about a typical divorce and how the blame can be put on both sides of the marriage.
The plot plays a big role in reinforcing the meaning that the story is about a typical marriage or relationship and the issues that can come up and destroy it. Many relationships end in splitting up, and today more than ever, divorces are more common in society. Most of the splits probably stem from smaller issues that create bigger issues such as the one in the story. The original problem is unknown, but we can infer that something happened that would not allow for the guy to stay with the women any longer. Out of this we get the larger issue that is visibly seen, the fight over

the child and the fight to “win the break-up”. The plot portrays a typical divorce that comes from one big issue finally splitting the couple apart and reinforces the meaning of the story that this could happen to anyone at anytime.
The second major element that plays a role showing how easy it is for relationships to fall apart instantly is the setting and tone of the story.

The setting and tone go hand in hand during the story as both have dark elements that portray the message of the story. For instance, we get a glimpse of the setting when it says, “Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water” (Carver 344). We also get a preview of the tone when it says, “Cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside too” (344). Both of these lines set the mood for the story and provide of bit of foreshadowing for the events to come. Both the tone and setting in the story help to make the events of the story come into play and reinforce how things can go south in a hurry when it comes to

relationship.
The last element that helps to reinforce the meanings of the short story are the characters. The characters help to reinforce the meaning because they are very relatable and act very much so as they would in society at the time and today. For example, the man is quieter and avoids confrontation, while the woman is more outspoken and looks to cause trouble. We see this when it says, “I’m glad you’re leaving! I’m glad you’re leaving! She said. Do you hear? / He kept on putting his things into the suitcase” (344). This short sequence of events backs the descriptions of the characters as we see the loud women confronting the man as he stays quiet and tries to ignore her. Overall, the characters act as if they would in society, making this story more credible and relatable.
In the story, the elements that make the story are written in a manner that helps to reinforce the meaning which is that this could happen to anybody and at anytime. The main elements plot, setting and tone, and the characters are relatable and help for the readers to connect with the situation better. All together, the elements of the story and the style in which it was written, makes the reader choose a side and form an opinion on who is the lesser evil in the relationship and who should win custody of the child, which leads them into coming to the realization this could happen to them at anytime.