Claire

Claire is the main character of the short story “So Much Water So Close to Home” by Raymond Carver. She is also the story’s narrator. Claire is married to Stuart and they have a son named Dean (l. 37). Claire is most likely a housewife, as she stays home when Stuart goes to work (ll. 122-123). 

The story does not offer details about Claire and Stuart’s relationship before the fishing trip incident. After Stuart tells her his version of the story, Claire begins to grow distant from her husband. For example, she avoids interacting with Stuart by pretending to be sleep (ll. 122-123). She also tries to avoid him by sleeping on the sofa (ll. 140-141). Her gestures suggest that she is suspicious of Stuart and that she needs time to analyze their relationship. It might als...