Characters

“Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver features three unnamed characters: a woman, a man, and a baby. Given that the baby is so small and does not talk, he is only the object of dispute between the other two characters which are the most important and the ones we will focus on.

The man

The man in the short story is unnamed, and almost nothing is said about his outer characterization. All we know is that he is moving out of the place he has been living with a woman with whom he has a child. We do not know if the two are married or not. Still, given that the child is so small, we can assume that both the man and the woman are probably a young couple.

Inner characterization

The man’s inner characterization stems from his behavior and actions in the conflict with the woman. The fact that he is packing and the woman’s comments indicate that he was the one who decided the break-up:

He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door.
I’m glad you’re leaving! I’m glad you’re leaving! she said.

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The woman

Like the man, the woman in the short story is unnamed, and little is said about her outer characterization. All we know is that she is a young mother who has been in a relationship with a man who is leaving her.

Inner characterization

The woman’s inner characterization shows her to be verbally aggressive with the man. This indicates that she is enraged with him for leaving her and that she is emotionally distressed: “Son of a bitch! I’m so glad you’re leaving! She began to cry. You can’t even look me in the face, can you?”

The above remark may indicate that the man probably did something, such as having an affair (a common reason for separation).

As the story progresses, the woman becomes possessive of her child. She first takes his picture, suggesting that she is not willing to let the man take with him even a picture of the baby. Then, she holds tight to the baby as she is in the kitchen:

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