In Raymond Carver?s ?What We Talk About When Love?, the scarcely veiled animosity between Mel McGinnis and his wife, Terri, gives tension to this story of three married couples. Through Mel?s thoughts, Carver is exploring the nature of love after marriage. Mel insists on asking the impossible questions; What is the nature of love?

What is the meaning of sharing? Why do we love?

Between the two extremes of perfect love, Mel and Terri are passed the bliss of their first attraction and not yet two halves of a whole, complete relationship. Each has been married before and is obsessed with the earlier partner. First Terri with her sadistic ex-husband , Ed. Then Mel reveals his dislike towards his first wife because his wife kept the kids and Mel is forced to pay child support (which he feels he is also supporting the ex-wife also). Terri says, ?She?s bankrupting us.?(121) Carver seems to keep this under control and on the subject : examples of the different varieties of love.

The three couples in the story represent different stages of marriage. At one end of the spectrum there are Laura and Nick (the narrator), still infatuated, glowing with attraction for each other. (Which in turn produces sharing and caring). At the other end is an old couple who got in an accident. The old man was depressed because ?it wasn?t the accident exactly but it was because he couldn?t see?(124) his wife. (This shows his ever present love for his wife.) Mel is trying to figure where he and Terri fall into place.

Love is very important to everyone in this story. If it wasn?t, Mel wouldn?t be confused about where he falls into place. We love to fill the otherwise empty part of our lives.