Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver

• Written-1983
• Raymond Carver
• Lifespan- (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988)
• Alcoholic
• Died- Sever liver problems

• Reinvented- Short stories in America

Authors Views of Life

First begins out as an extreme alcoholic. J.P. is left with some hope at the end (Roxy Visiting, Staying at Frank Martins), Narrator is left with no hope (Wife won’t pick up, Jack London books.. “To build a fire”- Fire gets going to stop from freezing. A branchful of snow drops on it.

(Yellow)

Characters

J.P (was a drunk like all the rest)

Roxy (the young woman who had extra kisses)

Tiny ( A big fat electrician who had a seizure)

Frank Martin( short and heavy set, stands like a prize fighter smoking his cigar)
Nar rator (still hoped to speak with his girlfriend and wife but still had no luck)
"Where I’m Calling From"

It started at Frank Martin’s rehab center. Joe Penny other wise know as J.P. was a drunk like all the rest. J.P. has a case of the shakes. A big fat electrician named Tiny had a seizure just before he would get of that center and join his wife on New Years Eve. Tiny had nicked himself in the chin with a razor and J.P. said, “Just about everybody at Frank Martin’s has nicks on his face.” Tiny had his seizure during breakfast and “One of the guys put his fingers inside Tiny’s mouth and tried to hold his tongue.”J.P. was interested and wanted to know if he felt his ticker skip a beat. Almost like if he to wanted to get ready for it. The narrator then sits on the porch with J.P while smoking cigarettes and listening to J.P. talk. J.P. had talked about how h e fell into a well on the farm he grew up on. He suffered all kinds of terror,

“Hollering for help, waiting, and then hollering some more.” Way up at the top he could see a little circle of blue and wondered if things might fall into his hair. Nothing fell and nothing closed that little circle of blue. Luckily, his dad had rescued him with a rope. J.P. had no ambitions to do anything with his life. When he was around 19 years old he went to his friends house where he would meet a young woman chimney sweep. It drove J.P. nuts to look at her. Disappeared into the chimney sweep. The young woman wanted a kiss from his friend supposedly to bring good luck. J.P. felt left out and wanted one as well. “Why not I’ve got some extra kisses,” she said. J.P. was filled with sensations. J.P. then got her number and wanted to go on a date. Her name was Roxy. The dating became frequent then to lead to their marriage. J.P. wanted to be a chimney sweep like Roxy’s family businesses. J.P was still there and Roxy quit. They have two kids. J.P.’s drinking started out with just beers and then got worse and worse. “There was always a glass of gin and tonic in his hands."
He would fill up on snacks at the bar, miss dinners as well as even work. Roxy and J.P start fighting, they literally beat each other up. But he still kept drinking. The Narrator was still interested. He finds out his wife is cheating on him and looses his license. J.P was at Frank Martin’s to get his life back on track, and he wasn’t there against his will. It was the Narrarators second time at Frank’s. The father and brother in law both came to help J.P. and got out of their as quick as possible. Frank Martin is short and heavy set. He stands like a prizefighter while smoking his cigar. J.P feels like a bug when he was around, something that frank could step on. The narrator had first showed up to Frank Martin’s drunk with his wife. He had found out she had a pap smear and then got drunk again. Her son didn’t agree with them going out. The narrator and his girlfriends were alcoholics. She leaves him at Frank Martin’s and then moves on with her life. He still knew that they would see each other again. He didn’t hear from her on New Year’s Eve like he suspected. There’s a man in Frank Martin’s who denies the fact of ever being drunk and asking for champagne. J.P.’s hands are steady now and his wife is coming to visit. J.P and his wife are excited to see each other. They end up kissing for “Good luck”, she says. The narrator gets a case of the shakes an wants something to drink. He remembers a landlord coming to the house and happiness came over his head knowing that he was himself and in his bed with his wife. The narrator had still hoped to speak with his girlfriend and wife but still had no luck.

Themes

Alcoholism- In that it’s was taking over J.P’s life as well as the narrators. He was abusing his wife and can never be satisfied with only one drink. This made Fear the unknown, wondering if he was ever going to end up like Tiny. Alcoholism led to isolation. With the alcohol there was no hope but without there was.

Fear and depression- When J.P Is drunk he returns to the bottom of that well. He is isolated from the world waiting for someone to save him. He has no control of his life at the point, fearing of what can happen next. Fear connected to alcohol and isolation because when your scared you might resort to drinking and when you drink your isolated but the alcohol makes it seem like your not.
Isolation- Is evident every time J.P drinks. He isolates himself from the loved ones around him. Isolation connects to alcohol and fear. You resort to drinking when you isolated which leaves you in fear.
Love/friendship- J.P.’s love for Roxy was at first extremely passionate. He was in love the first time they met. Although they went their eperate ways, with J.P.’s Hope to get better at frank Martin’s it showed Roxy that he was a changed man. This brought back the happy loving memories they shared.
Hope-That little circle of blue signified hope. Hope that J.P would return back to the world from the bottom of that well. Alcohol was what drove him down there, where he was isolated and full of fear. Still nothing fell on him which meant there was still a chance to survive, still a chance at Frank Martin’s to get better.


?????Questions?????
Why did the narrator’s wife or girlfriend never call back?
Why did the Father and brother in law come back to help J.P. after what he did to Roxy?
Why did Roxy quit being a chimney sweep while J.P. didn’t?
Why did Roxy come to visit J.P, just a few days later?

Reader Response
I liked this story because it compared and contrasted the life of J.P. and the narrator. It showed the similarities of the times when they would both be drink. It contrasted the way J.P. still had hope while the narrator didn’t. J.P.’s wife comes to visit and the narrator’s doesn’t. This is the second time for the narrator in Frank Martin’s, while only the first time for J.P. and he was already becoming a changed man. The narrator still thinks about drinks and reminisces on the time in high school when he read “To build a fire” by Jack London.

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