Compare the relationship between Mel and Terri to the relationship between Nick and Laura. Does the narrative portray one couple as more enduring than the other? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

The narration’s deceptively simple style heightens the story’s ambiguity. The sparsity follows Ernest Hemingway’s “iceberg theory,” where little detail is given, and most of the story lies below the water level to accentuate its deeper meaning. What elements are omitted from the story, and why did Carver choose to leave them out?

What is Ed’s role in the narrative, and how is his previous relationship with Terri central to the story’s themes?