Beginners by Raymond Carver

The “Beginners” by Raymond Carver offers an interesting insight into his view of the institution of the power of love.   Carver, in his minimalistic approach to literature offers a varied explanation of the elusiveness of love through the perceptions of the four major characters found in the short story.  Although each of the characters attempt to define love their descriptions become more puzzling as the storyline continues.  Each character initially feels that they have a clear concept of love and this helps to create the culture in which they live.  Carver addresses the institution of the power of love and its ideology by revealing these ideas through conversation, action, and symbols. 

At the commencement of the story, four friends sit around a sunlit room having a social drink of gin enjoying each other’s companionship when the conversation turns toward the topic of love.  Herb, a cardiologist, takes the lead in the conversation and tries desperately to depict his ideas of love by saying that love is somewhat spiritual or agape in nature, developing these ideas from his seminary classes.  Ironically being a heart surgeon, most people would assume that he has the most insight to the true functioning of the heart.  However, he proclaims “I’m just a mechanic. I just go in and fix things that go wrong with the body. I’m just a mechanic.”  He sees himself as a glorified mechanic where his association to the inner workings of the heart is purely mechanical and lacks any connection to love and its symbolism.

As the conversation continues it shifts towards the subject of Terri’s ex-lover, Carl.  Terri claims true love with her ex-abusive lover who would do anything to keep her.  “He dragged me around the living room by my ankles, all the while saying, ‘I love you, don’t you see? I love you, you bitch.’” He went on dragging me around the living room, my head knocking on things.”  She feels love is all controlling and all consuming.  Although Herb disagrees with this concept of love, he shares a parallel to Carl with his verbal and mental abuse of Terri portraying a deep seated resentment and anger.  Terri’s response to Herb, “Say what you want to, but I know he loved me.”          

Love is confusing. Herb indicates this quite clearly in his statement, “And the terrible thing, the terrible thing is, but the good thing too, the saving grace, you might say, is that if something happened to one of us tomorrow, I think the other one, the other partner, would mourn for a while, you know, but then the surviving party would go out and love again, have someone else soon enough.”   Herb is uncertain whether it is a great thing loving someone unconditionally one day, like his ex-wife Marjorie, and then wanting to see her die the next day.  He even suggests that Laura could be a possible wife if she and Nick were not together.  Herb’s suicidal tendencies indicate a lack of love for oneself making it difficult to be able to love others. 

The narrator of the story, Nick, provides an interesting link in the plot.  He remains relatively quiet throughout the conversation, only making observations about the changing light and the amount of gin remaining.  When Laura states “Well, Nick and I are in love… Aren’t we, Nick?” Nick responds by “[taking] her hand and [raising] it to my lips with a flourish.” Although he does not vocalize his opinion of love, Carver makes his viewpoint well known through his observations and physical movements.  Throughout the story one of Nick’s main observations is the dwindling sunlight in the room.  At the beginning of the text, the room is bright and it appears the characters have a firm idea of love.  Love is palpable as Nick caresses his wife, Laura.  Nick initially feels that love is absolute and perhaps as the storyline continues he finds that love is much more. 

Carver’s view of the elderly couple from the car accident indicates that they share an eros and storge type of love.  They share a sensual connection as well as a familial bond. Initially, the sunshine pours in the room as they converse which reinforces a philia type of love shown in the friendship between the four people.  Even at the end of the story, this love endures as Laura gently holds Terri as she sobs.  However as the story progresses, the sunlight begins to set and the room gradually darkens as the gin bottle empties.  This reveals how the character’s idea of love grows blurry and confusing.  Gradually, the light diminishes as Nick’s intoxication and confusion crescendos regarding love and its meanings.  He implies that he could ride off into the sunset and leave the critical analysis of love, life and relationships behind.  At the end of the text Carver gives the reader insight to Nick’s ideas of love.  Nick “could feel [his] heart beating” which indicates that he may have a greater understanding than the other characters of the idea of love. 

Carver has given his readers on a very real level a “slice of life” without a firm endpoint.  He leaves you hanging a bit without tidying up his ending.  The reader must put some thought into this illusive idea of love and see through the eyes of these realistic people their views of love. He makes you think of the love in this cultural setting and helps guide you into thought processes to question your beliefs about love.  Their views of love are real and down to earth on so many levels.  Love is so much more.   Carver believes in the institution of love, even though it is confusing, difficult to define, and elusive.  Everyone’s own personal experiences help to create their ideas of love. Thankfully, even though love can be lost, it can also be found over and over again.