Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" takes place while two couples are sitting around a table drinking heavily from a bottle of gin and discussing past and new relationships. Through Nick, the narrator of the story, a picture is painted about the personalities of the people that sit around him and about the people in the stories they share with one another. The contrasting definitions of love are apparent from one character to the next, this brings up the question, can anyone put a label on what the definition of love is? Surprisingly enough the two characters in this story with the seemingly most contrasting views on love end up being more alike in several ways. .
The first character is Mel, a cardiologist who is married to Terri. At the beginning of the story Mel seems overbearing and a little self-righteous at times. He initiates the conversation of what love means. As Terri explains the story of her past with her ex-husband named Ed, she describes a very abusive relationship. Ed had supposedly loved her so much that he had beaten her up one night and even attempted to kill her. After her story Mel comments, "My God, don't be silly. That's not love, and you know it, I don't know what you'd call it, but I sure know you wouldn't call it love"(977). Yet Terri insists that it was love. "He did love me though, Mel. Grant me that," she pleaded with him. "That's all I"m asking. He didn't love me the way you love me. I"m not saying that. But he did love me. You can grant me that can't you?"(978). But Mel's views on love are very different then those of Ed. Mel cannot comprehend that this abusive man could have possibly have loved Terri while he was dragging her around the room by her ankles. His view on what love is could never understand the relationship that Terri and Ed had previously had together.
Ed is described in this story as a dangerous, abusive crazed man.
