NOT YOU. Claire is a very eloquent speaker and usually cant agree with Stuart so she keeps to herself. It is obvious that Claire doesn’t want to have sex with Stuart (for the second time) and he is forcing himself on her but Claire ‘can’t hear a thing with so much water going.’. "Careless" is the second single released by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Messengers from their 1989 studio album, So Much Water So Close to Home. It highlights the different characters that exist between me and women in the social context of the American culture. Thanks for the comment Carol. [ 5 ] Very auspicious. She pulls over and a man knocks on her window. I’m not sure if the actual rape occured though, but even if it did occur – his sobbing afterwards, and red eyes/tears just before the incidents, with those kind words he said to her, and all the efforts before and after – this all just doesn’t go with a distant, careless and cold personality she tries to pin on him. Sure thing. The story speaks to me of an oppressed woman (it’s interesting others have seen her as insane – think ‘woman in the attic’ – let’s lock up those crazy women who refuse to accept their role in society that men have carved out for them!) Taken from his What We Talk About When We Talk About Love collection the story is narrated in the first person by a woman called Claire and it begins with Claire sitting at home with her husband Stuart who is eating his dinner. You make an interesting point. You Can't Take It With You Sweet Guy Most Wanted Man In the World I Had Forgotten You She's a Melody South of Germany Careless Moon In the Bed No You Everything's Turning to White Pigeon/Jundamurra Cities of Texas. He looks at me and doesn’t say anything”, “What are you afraid of, Claire? 1-888-302-2840; 1-888-422-8036; Home; Services. “Stuart sits at the table with a drink in front of him. Instead it is “Before Dean comes. In the story “So Much Water So Close To Home” a young girl is raped, killed and found in a river where four men are fishing. He wipes his mouth on the napkin. So Much Water So Close To Home Essay by EssaySwap Contributor , College, Undergraduate , February 2008 download word file , 3 pages download word file , 3 pages 3.0 1 votes [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver . This album = "So Much Water, So Close To Home" (1989) Next album = Comedy (1991) "So Much Water, So Close to Home" is an album by Paul Kelly & The Messengers and originally released in August, 1989. Claire’s decision to attend the young girl’s funeral is also significant because it further suggests that Claire identifies (as she did in the creek) with the young girl. Yes, I feel Like this sheds an entirely new light on the entire story and all resonates so much more than the way I was reading it. Claire had felt it before under the surface but it had never been so clear to her. I would like to say thank you for the level of excellence on providing written works. Also the girl’s body was found in water. [9] All tracks for the album were written by Kelly,[10] who provided vocals, guitar and harmonica and also co-produced with Litt. [9] The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt,[5] best known for his work with R.E.M.. Litt had re-mixed some of Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls' tracks from Gossip for its US release as by Paul Kelly and the Messengers. In So Much Water So Close to Home by Raymond Carver we have the theme of doubt, disconnection, conflict, identity and isolation. Claire goes for a drive, to the spot where the girl was picked up, killed and dumped, to see if she can imaging what the girl went through, Claire does this out of guilt.. She told her hairdresser she did not know her well, but still went to her funeral, Stuart was not there. Which may be a result of having as you suggest entered a relationship at a young age and committing herself to Stuart. In the copy I get there’s no such line as “For God sake Stuart, she was just a child!” in the end. First, the earlier version has a few parts written in italics, which is not the case in the later version. The song was later covered by Renée Geyer on … This is crazy, I think as I slap him. The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. This could change the interpretation quite a bit. But you know.’ Again this suggests that Claire identifies with the young girl, even though she never knew her. McManus, Dermot. We do not know if Stuart was active or passive in the decision to continue with the fishing trip instead of reporting the death. When they return home, she couldn’t sleep and she stayed in the bed distant from Stuart because that previous night has been a sort of revelation about the husband’s nature. Thanks for the comment John. Claire clearly identifies herself with that murdered girl, and sees her own youth as some other, past life, a life she lived before her own death, before she “died” by marrying Stuart. Thanks for your work, I really like this website. Then as Claire and Stuart pull up to the picnic ground the reader becomes aware of the creek running under the bridge. Claire’s presence at the funeral is her way of apologizing for her husband. And once again, Stuart doesn’t respond on violence with violence, but instead takes her home. Hello Dermot excellent review. Some readers think he might be. 13-17). The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. This scene highlights the fear within Claire as she would be in great danger for knowing the secret of a murderer. [5] The album peaked at #10 on the ARIA album charts,[9] but none of its singles, "Sweet Guy", "Careless" and "Most Wanted Man in the World" had any Top 40 chart success. This is further highlighted when the phone rings. Stuart tells Claire not to answer the phone. [8] which was also based on the same story. So much water so close to home and other kinds of academic papers in our essays database at Many Essays. I’d like to think the analysis of the symbolism is Carver’s story is valid. Thank you. He chews, arms on the table, and stares at something across the room. I think that the main topic of the story is the sense of identification Claire has with the murdered girl. During the time Carver wrote the story, the mid seventies, and in later versions, the early eighties, the Pacific Northwest was in a state of paralysis. Though some critics might think originality is over-rated. Please, Claire. Hurry.”, as Claire finished the buttons herself. [4][5], ^shipments figures based on certification alone, 1989 studio album by Paul Kelly and the Messengers, "Australian Music Report No 795 – 23 October 1989 > Singles: New Releases", "Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) search engine", "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums Chart – 1989 (61–100)", Live at the Continental and the Esplanade, Seven Deadly Sins: Music from the ABC TV Series, Before Too Long: Triple J's Tribute to Paul Kelly, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=So_Much_Water_So_Close_to_Home&oldid=994719074, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Certification Table Entry usages for Australia, Certification Table Entry usages of salesamount without salesref, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures, Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Sequencer — David Russo (tracks 5, 9, 10), This page was last edited on 17 December 2020, at 05:24. However on re-reading the post the grammar does need to improve. So much water so close at home is an engrossing story that was written by Raymond Carver. You make some excellent points 1990. ”. I would agree with you that the marriage is strained. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Required fields are marked *, Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. Anyway…, Great story, great review and comments here. “Water” as the representation of fear, suspicion, death and loss leaves Claire disoriented and vulnerable. ”. Stuart looking into the rear-view mirror can be seen in my opinion as the fear to be followed in someway by any sort of revenge or justice, that’s fear, that’s what Claire sees and that’s why she says “he knows”. It is more of a feeling that she has been violated as well and that her own youth was in a way taken from her too. Once, during a particularly bad argument, OVER WHAT SHE CAN’T REMEMBER NOW, five years or so after they were married, he tells her that someday this affair (his words: this affair) will end in violence. You could be right. Men symbolic of violence/selfishness and women symbolic of acceptance/suffering. By having sex and getting intimate again with her husband, she actually wants to make believe, and hopefully, make sure, that this is the man she knows as before and she wants that person back instead of just ditch him. While others think the only thing he is guilty of is not reporting the crime when he first came across the girl’s body. That’s why the first thing she says when she arrived home was about Dean. realising that she is also, like the young girl who was raped and murdered, at the mercy of the violence of men. I think that one also could reasonably infer from her roadside encounter that she had sex with the man in the truck. The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt, best known for his work with R.E.M.. An original idea that is not only possible but plausible is worth far more than rehashing what somebody else may have written using acceptable grammar. Style of language. But since we are in the narrator’s head we do know that there is no love in Claire’s heart for Stuart inspite of sharing a family and a home with him. [6] Carver died in August 1988. By Raymond Carver. Rear mirror as a symbol of looking back to the past is a brilliant idea, but I have to disagree in this particular story. Raymond Carver’s story “So Much Water So Close to Home” and Ray Lawrence’s Jindabyne differ drastically in the way Lawrence moves the story from the private to public sphere. You make a valid point. [4][5] The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. The short story “So Much Water So Close To Home” is written by the American minimalist Raymond Carver and was first published in 1974. Maybe… In the story we do not know whether Stuart and his friends had anything to do with the girl’s death. Dialogue plays an important role in the story, as it presents the dynamics between characters. I think Stuart look through the mirror (at least in the narrator point of view) to observe Claire’s facial expression. Contribute! There is a disconnection between the two of them. Thanks for that insight Aaron. That is why she says at the end of the story: For God sake Stuart, she was just a child! New Comments at DTW. The single was released in October 1989 on the Mushroom Records label. Start studying So much water so close to home Raymond Carver. So Much Water So Close to Home is an album by Australian rock band Paul Kelly and the Messengers and was originally released in August 1989. Carver was unhappy with the edit and after he died his wife Tess Gallagher posthumously published the collection Beginners which is described as being Carver’s original manuscript of the collection What We Talk about When We Talk about Love. I must get over it, put it out of sight, out of mind… Despite evrything, knowing all that may be in the store, I rake my arm across the drainboard and send the dishes and glasses smashing and scattering across the floor. Shop the Black Friday Sale: Get 50% off Quizlet Plus through Monday Learn more In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Search for: Search. I would also agree with you that Claire can sense (or feel) Stuart’s guilt, worry and anxiety. Captain Planet is not just writing lyrics that fit on the beat. That he may be capable of murder. Thanks for that insight Pooja. Last Reviewed on June 19, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. Hi Pooja, according to my understanding / reading of the story, you come close to hitting the nail on the head. Though I’m not as sure that Claire might have had sex with the man by the roadside. I think Stuart was having an affair, Claire finds out and hires someone to kill the mistress and leaves her body where Stuart goes fishing to find. Thanks for the comment Elaine. Roadshow Films, 2006. Mirror could be a symbol of barrier between them, who seems like stranger to each other and not knowing each other anymore. I read the story yesterday for the first time and its been on my mind a lot. Euphoric moments between melody and staccato are coined by lyrics written to the point. “I slap him hard before I realize. So Much Water.' I’d like to help, just try me. DTW Authors. Tag so much water so close to home A review of “Short Cuts” – nine short stories by short story master Raymond Carver March 7, 2013 freshlyworded 1 Comment Carver is a fine psyche expert so maybe he wants to show that suspicion and fear are deep seated in Claire’s mind in such a traumatic way that she keeps linked to this state of mind. Claire may be an unreliable narrator. This is emphasized by the fact that Claire is staring at Stuart. I can’t explain, I say, I’m just afraid, I feel like, I feel like, I feel like…”. [13] Kelly would go on to co-write the score for the 2006 Australian film Jindabyne,[8] which was also based on the same story. Noticing this thread reminds me that I should dig up both versions and read them again, but in the mean time I do want to mention that if this story (or for that matter Carver’s development as a story writer) really interests you, it might be worth trying to find the older version, though it is out of print and may be hard to find. I say, 'Why did you have to go miles away?'" I think it was also supposed to serve as evidence of his slight despondency and detachment from Claire and his immediate surroundings, the way his behavior while eating dinner was. This is important as Claire fears that she will be raped by the man and at the same time she can hear the river below the trees. It’s hard to say if Stuart is guilty or not. Rather than immediately report the girl’s body to the police, Stuart and his friends continued with their fishing trip only reporting the girl’s body after they had finished fishing. This is what changes her relationship with her husband and makes the story at once hopeful and devastating. When Stuart talks to Claire, for instance, he comes across as short-tempered and verbally abusive (ll. In the story, a wife becomes suspicious of her husband when he and his friends discover the … Thanks for the comment Matias, you make some valid points and you may possibly be right. [6] The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt,[5] best known for his work with R.E.M.. There definitely is a sense of hostility within the relationship which may have been triggered by Stuart’s actions. Again there is the idea that Claire is not only alone (or isolated) but she is disconnected from Stuart. Tell me, honey, and maybe I can help. At the end, when he tells her over the phone that his mother would stay with them for a few days, I think it meant that ‘the place doctor recommends’ was once again waiting for her. I would say, judging by their interaction here, that she obviously had a history of violent outbursts, which is why he predicted and asked her not to get worked up. [5], Their next album, So Much Water So Close to Home was released in 1989 as by Paul Kelly and the Messengers in all markets. 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