Structure

The short story “A Serious Talk” by Raymond Carver can be structured into two parts. In the first part, the main character, Burt, recalls the events that took place on Christmas Day, when he visited his estranged wife, Vera, and their children. A foreshadowing element at the beginning of the story suggests that their encounter was not peaceful: “He pulled in the driveway and stopped beside the pie he’d dropped the night before. It was still there, the aluminium pan upside down, a halo of pumpkin filling on the pavement.” (p. 16, ll. 3-4)

Burt recalls the events on Christmas Day in a flashback. The flashback shows that the encounter began smoothly, with Burt, Vera, and the children opening presents, but that Burt almost burned the house down (...