Apply one term or element of identity to "A Serious Talk." Build your topic sentence around the term or element of identity you select, making sure to offer what you will prove about it. For example, you could write something about Burt's masculinity or symbolism in "A Serious Talk." Offer a developed paragraph on the story, identifying what term or element of identity you will discuss.You need to offer one post that contains two formal paragraphs. Make sure that you have a topic sentence, evidence in the form of at least three quotes from each of the stories, and analysis of that evidence.

If you want to stick with symbolism (given in the prompt as an example and therefore likely something your teacher is looking for), there are several examples you could use. You might structure a thesis something like this:

Raymond Carver uses symbolism in "A Serious Talk" to convey the devastation in the relationship between Vera and Burt.

Here are some examples you could use to build your paragraphs:

The ashtray: This represents the life the couple had. They had bought it together in happier times, and when he sees a mixture of cigarettes in their ashtray, Burt is disturbed. After all, he cannot accept that Vera has moved on without him, and this is a visual reminder that she is mixing a new life with pieces of her old one with him (and their children). Since he cannot reconcile the image of Vera's moving forward, he decides to wipe it clean: "He rinsed it out and dried it. He put it back on the table. And then he ground out his cigarette in it." Burt is trying to symbolically reclaim his own place in Vera's life. When he leaves, he takes the ashtray with him, symbolizing his efforts to hold on to what remains of their life together.


The disarray of the backyard: Burt looks out a window and sees "a bicycle without a front wheel standing upside down. He saw weeds growing along the redwood fence." This is symbolic of his current relationship with Vera. It is in disarray (like the weeds covering his fence, choking out something created to mark their own space together) and has no further function (like the bicycle which can no longer be ridden and cannot even stand in its intended position).


The pumpkin pie in the driveway: The story both begins and ends with this image: "It was still there, the aluminum pan upside down, a halo of pumpkin filling on the pavement." Typically pumpkin pies are symbolic of warm family bonds and happy moments spent together. The fact that his is both upside down and in the driveway is symbolic of the cold, broken relationship that exists between Burt and his family.