Themes and message

Alcoholism

The main theme of Raymond Carver’s short story “One More Thing” is the disintegration of the family due to a parent’s alcoholism.

The story portrays the negative effects alcoholism has on a person and on the people close to that person. Alcohol affects the way a person behaves and interacts with others.

In the story, Maxine states that she has had enough of L.D.’s behavior. She also implies that the other people who know L.D., including his daughter, are also disapproving of the way he acts (p. 9, ll. 36-37). He has become bothersome to the people who are close to him, and he is an unpleasant company.

Moreover, due to his violent temper fueled by alcohol consumption, L.D. brings damage to the household. He breaks a pickle jar, and he also smashes the kitchen window. This leads to his daughter fearing him an his wif...