Summary

The short story “Jerry and Molly and Sam” by Raymond Carver begins on a Sunday morning with a man, Al, deciding to get rid of the family dog, Suzy, without his wife and his children finding out. His plan is to drive her somewhere at night and leave her there.

Al thinks about all his problems. His workplace is laying people off. His wife, Betty, has also convinced him to move to a more expensive house. He is having an affair with Jill, a woman he has met at a bar. Although he is only 31, Al feels he is losing control and getting old. Because of all these problems, Al decides to get rid of the dog that his wife’s sister, Sandy, recently gave to his children, Alex and Mary. Al drinks a beer and continues to plan how to get rid of the dog, thinking that Betty will be upset when he goes out that evening since she will believe he is going drinking or seeing another woman. He also thinks about all the t...