Part one of term paper
is one of the longest and most complex stories in the collection, and one of its finest. In addition, it brings together a number of the themes and images that have recurred throughout the book. For example, it depicts the kind of interaction between two couples that we have seen in "Neighbors" and "What's in Alaska?"; in this case, the My ...

Part two of term paper
... in becomes the title of the story. What is different about this story, however, is its self-consciousness, its concentration on the role of the writer. In many ways, can be seen as Carver's comment on his own career, on storytelling itself. Myers is a writer, although he hasn't sold anything yet and is currently not writing. He has quit his job to pursue his muse, but with little success. As the story opens he is depressed, " between stories and [feeling] despicable", when his wife calls to in ...