Analysis Of Raymond Carver s Beginners - 969 Words

Defenseless Vulnerability is the key which unlocks the heart to someone else’s soul. The short story Beginners, written by Raymond Carver examines divergent views on love, by recollecting the characters personal experiences with it. After reading, it becomes apparent that being in love makes one vulnerable. This vulnerability can either be perceived as a positive or negative characteristic. When the characters bring up their involvements with love, it becomes clear that in all the situations the commonality is vulnerability. One character who specifically struggles with the idea of love imposing vulnerability is Herb. As mentioned above, vulnerability can be depicted in both a positive and negative manner. When one loves someone deeply they begin to find a sense of trust and security within that person. This new found trust typically causes both people to become more dependent on one another and, this leads them to relinquish control over their hearts. Realizing that you can rely on someone who loves you and has your best interest in mind, can be a beautiful aspect of a relationship. In contrast, being vulnerable to someone can lead to great pain as well because, at that point, one’s companion has supremacy over your heart. If they choose to abuse that power, then being defenseless towards that person can be terrifying. Herb endures the negative effects of vulnerability because he suffered a great deal when divorcing his previous wife. In light of that hardship, Herb does