Nick and Laura

Outer characterization

Nick is the narrator of the short story “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love” by Raymond Carver. He is 38 years old and is married to Laura, with whom he has been in a relationship for a year and a half. Laura is thirty-five years old, and she works as a legal secretary. Both Nick and Laura have been married before. Nick’s job is not mentioned, but several hints suggest that he might be a lawyer or working in the field of law: “Laura is a legal secretary. We’d met in a professional capacity”. 

There is no mention of Nick’s physical appearance. Laura’s physical appearance is not described, except for her hands: “the nails polished, perfectly manicured”. Laura is also a smoker. 

Inner characterization

Nick rarely participates in the discussion and mostly fu...