Characters

The short story “So Much Water So Close to Home” by Raymond Carver focuses on the dynamics between the main characters, Claire and Stuart. Claire, who is also the narrator of the story, tries to deal with finding out that her husband decided to enjoy his fishing trip with his friends next to a girl’s dead body, rather than turning back to report the crime. Stuart becomes increasingly tense around his wife and insists he has done nothing wrong. 

The collective character of Stuart’s friends – “Gordon Johnson and Mel Dorn and Vern Williams” (l. 33) – also saw the girl’s dead body, but they agreed to continue their trip before reporting their finding to the police. This shows that, although they are considered “decent men, family men” (l. 35), they lack empathy and are unable to see the dead girl as a human being. This is suggested by how they treat the dead body, tying the girl’s wrist to a tree and then going about their routine. The man in the pickup truck also plays an important role in the story, as he symbolizes Claire’s fear, but also violence against women. 

You can read a full characterization of Claire and Stuart in the following pages.