Characters

The most important characters in the short story “Chef’s House” by Raymond Carver are Edna, her husband Wes, and his friend Chef, who rents out his house to Wes. Three other characters are briefly mentioned: the couple’s children, Cheryl and Bobby, and Chef’s daughter, Linda. Here, you can read a short presentation of the characters we will focus on in this study guide.

“Chef’s House” is narrated by Edna, one of the two main characters. Wes is another central character in “Chef’s House” and the narrator’s husband. He is a recovering alcoholic who rents a house by the ocean and asks Edna, his estranged wife, to join him there for the summer.

Edna is not a developing character, as the story does not suggest her life changes in any way after this particular episode. This is an important part of the story’s narration, as it appears that her life might change as she relaxes into the experience of living with Wes in Chef’s house by the ocean. 

Chef is a secondary character who is mostly absent from the main action.

You can read the full characterization of Edna, Wes, and Chef in the next pages of this study guide!