Structure

Raymond Carver’s short story is very brief, structured around a conflict between a couple who is separating and who ends up fighting over their infant child. The narrative is structured in a minimalist way and does not offer any background on the conflict or a clear resolution, reminding readers of Ernest Hemingway’s iceberg technique. This technique means that authors deliberately leave most of the plot out of a narration and readers are supposed to figure out what is behind the story.

Still, “Popular Mechanics” follows most of the elements of the plot line, having an exposition, a rising action, and a climatic ending (the end combines the climax and the open resolution).

Title

For you to better understand the short story, you should note that its original title was “Mine” when it was first published in 1978 in a collection titled “Beginners”. Then, it was changed into “Popular Mechanics” by the editor of the collection “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” (1981). Finally, the story was included in a third collection, “Where I’m Calling From”, under the title “Little Things”.

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Beginning

The short story begins with a short yet traditional exposition in which the setting and the atmosphere are presented, along with the characters.

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Middle

The middle of the short story expands into the rising action, which is comprised of the verbal and physical aggressions between the two characters. The tension is marked through the aggressive tone of the dialogue: “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?”

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Ending

The climax overlaps with the resolution in the short story. The climax is represented by the physical clenching over the baby, as the man manages to grab him and the woman still holds on to the child’s hand:

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