Where I'm Calling From

Carver uses figurative language to reflect the natural speech patterns of his narrator. Several times, the narrator uses such language so organically that its figurative quality is scarcely noticeable because it represents how the narrator actually talks. For example, he says he and J.P. are “not out of the woods yet” (208); this is a metaphor indicating that they have not yet experienced the full force of alcohol withdrawal and are still in the early stages of their journey to recovery. The narrator also declares that he “would have listened if he’d been going on about how one day he’d decided to start pitching horseshoes” (211) when describing his desire for J.P. to keep talking; in this case, the figure of speech is a hyperbole, which uses exaggeration to make a point or create humor. These kinds of figures of speech play into the narration’s overall colloquial diction, which enhances the experience of “listening to” the characters’ storytelling.

Halfway through the story, and once more at the end, Carver alludes to the writer Jack London, who died from health complications exacerbated by the chronic overconsumption of alcohol. The first allusion comes from Frank Martin and prompts the narrator and J.P. to compare themselves to the writer. Frank Martin also alludes to London’s novel The Call of the Wild, which emphasizes the triumph of its main character. At the end of the short story, the narrator recalls reading a different work by London: the short story “To Build a Fire,” which the narrator finds more relatable. Like the character in London’s story, he feels that he is on the edge of survival, and that even if he does everything right, a figurative “branchful of snow” (221) could put out his fire. This last allusion highlights the precarious nature of recovery and the incredibly high stakes.

A key part of the story, and one that showcases Carver’s tendency to write realistically about working-class people, is the narrator’s syntax. His narration is reminiscent of everyday speech, including pet names like “Sugar” (216), and there is an aural, rhythmic quality to his language that makes the experience of reading not too unlike the experience of actually listening to a story. The narrator’s colloquial speech comes through in figurative language, but it also emerges in his sentences’ brevity, simplicity, and repetitive structure. That syntax in itself can create a complex tone, as when the narrator, before going to bed on New Year’s Eve, describes his interaction with J.P.: “We say goodnight. We say Happy New Year. I use a napkin on my fingers. We shake hands” (218). On the surface, this is a straightforward moment, but the syntax creates a tone of gravity, suggesting a layered meaning beneath the interaction.