Setting

Read here useful information about the setting of “Call If You Need Me” by Raymond Carver.

Time setting

Written in 2001, the short story presents events unfolding during the 2000s, around the same time as the story was published.

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Physical setting

The physical setting is represented by the house that Dan rented in Eureka:

We stood in the front yard a minute and looked around. Then we went up the porch steps and I unlocked the front door and turned on the lights. We went through the house. There were two small bedrooms, a bath, a living room with old furniture and a fireplace, and a big kitchen with a view of the valley. (ll. 144-148)

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Social setting

The social setting of the story shows the way in which long-term relationships are sometimes destroyed by adultery and lack of trust but also by the type of love in the relationship changing. Both Dan and Nancy are unfaithful, and they do not hide their affairs from each other. Still, they agree to spend the summer together and try to repair their marriage, although there are signs that Dan wants it more than Nancy. Although they sincerely love each other and regret ending their long-term marriage and relationship in a divorce, both Dan and Nancy understand that they are better off as friends. This is why they part ways in a friendly manner and do not resent each other.

Briefly, the social setting also touches upon the way in which the mistress, Susan, views Dan and Nancy’s marriage:

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