"Popular Mechanics"
By: Raymond Carver
What I got from this story in a thematic sense is how people lose their humanity in certain situations, such as one involving imminent divorce or another legal matter. The dispute between these two people tragically carry over into their baby, who doesn't get identified with anything other than "him" and "the baby." Throughout the story, the word "things" comes up often, and symbolism can be identified and attributed to the theme's development. The man is concerned about packing up his things and leaving. He is about to leave, and the woman tells him to get his things and get out. When the woman unwraps the crying baby's blanket, it is like opening a new thing that has just been brought home from the store, and the man wants it. The title itself is representative of the neglect to consider the baby a human being while they are going through their apparent marital problems. The baby is treated as if it is the next hot item to have in your home, and that it can be classified as something that can be bought (or replaced) by monetary means rather than being a priceless human life. The tragic end can represent not only the selfishness of the life they ripped apart, but the symbolic ripping apart of their marriage. When all is said and done, this story rings true in a blunt and graphic manner. The way the mother holds the baby as they fight over it is the same way a person who was trying to hold on to their purse or wallet as they were being mugged, as a thing, an item worth something to them, but she lacks the emotion of a human being and revere the child as a child. It is like they are fighting over a hundred dollar bill, both pulling on one end, eventually ripping it, ridding it of its worth and turning it into something neither of them ever wanted.
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