The author, Raymond Carver, used real life experiences to write this story. Just like the husband in his story, Earl Ober, he too was an alcoholic with no respect towards women. the main character reflects the authors personality. Earl is also an jobless alcoholic I think it bothers him that he is unemployed and the fact that he has nothing to be absorbed in, makes him feel useless and insignificant. This is partly the reason why he starts drinking and suddenly visits Doreen at her job.
One night after going to the bar, Earl decides to visit his wifes workplace in the hopes of getting a free meal. He sits down with a few workmates, when his wife, Doreen, comes to take their order. One of Earl's collegues comment about her 'big ass', while she is bending over scooping up ice
cream. "But some jokers like their quim fat," the man continues to his friend. Earl does not tell his friends of his relationship to the woman, as he is ashamed of her given their earlier comments. Later that night, he convinces Doreen to lose weight. This shows how conscious Earl is of others thoughts and opinions to stoop to this level. Until this point in the story, Earl had never thought of his wifes weight to be an issue. But seeing it from a strangers point of view made him rethink the idea. Rather than sticking up for his wife, he sits back and agrees with them. He did nothing to defend the woman he was supposed to love.
The language in this piece is descriptive and clearly shows the ignorance of Earl's character. '"Slob," Earl said. "Go ahead, eat! Go on!" This example depicts the husbands rudeness and selfishness.
After a few weeks, the weight drops off Doreen, though she is feeling tired and run down due to her lack of eating. People at work had also noticed her dramatic weight loss. Doreen confronted her husband of this issue, but Earl wouldn't hear of it. "They're not your husband." He told her firmly. Still, Earl pushes her to lose more weight, despite the damage it is doing to her health. Earl is a sexist pig of a man who cares more about the views of strangers than his wifes wellbeing.
Another night after drinking, Earl decides to stop by the cafe his wife works at. He plays dumb to the waitress and says, "Who's your friend?" (referring to Doreen). He watches her behind the counter, proud of what he's accomplished. He sleazily says to the man beside him, "What do you think of that?" The man ignores him, though Earl continues to try to get his attention, but he won't budge. Doreen reveals who the man is to a fellow co-worker, after she's questioned ("who is this character?").
It is safe to say that Earl went too far with his obsession for his wife to be thin and desirable to other men. Earl and Doreen may be husband and wife, but they are in relationship without love and commitment (mostly Earl). He thought far strongly of others perspectives and not enough about what was best for his wife. Doreen felt the need to make him happy and was pressured into going on a diet, risking her health in the process.
