This is one of Carver's most praised stories. Published in the early 1980's, it was included in the Best American Short Stories and was subsequently tagged for inclusion in John Updike's BASS of the Century Anthology.
The style is somewhat richer than the spare minimal sentences that Carver produced under the editorial hand of Gordon Lish. I think it points the way Carver would be turning in his last years, as he wrote true masterpieces like Errand.
In the story, Carver uses supporting characters to develop the voice and character of the narrator. Given your reading and completion of the worksheet, please write no more than 4000 characters in which you discuss how several supporting characters helps us to understand the protagonist-narrator.
(Edward Michaud) The story of "Where I'm Calling From" is most about drinking problems. There are many medical conditions that occour in the story that made me worry if Carver was intentionally making a grim story. There was also a lot of heart break in this story which gives me concerns about the characters' personality. Anyways, J.P. is a lonley chimney sweeper who was following his old girl-friend whom they get married and have children until J.P. becomes a heavy drinker and they both fight alot and they eventualy sparate from each other. Now he lives his life as a lonesome chimney sweeper, and hangs out with a few friends and reminds the narator about his wife. He remember to call her but thought it was too risky and decided to call his girlfriend instead. When he calls, he recieves his wife instead. I'm not sure what happens, but I think his girfrined is now a hostage or the wife figured out whats going on.
ReplyDelete(Blake Kalan) The author throws in many minor characters so they can give us an idea of their relationship with the narrator. Right off the bat we figure out that the narrator is a big drinker. This cause multiple problems for him. For example he and his girlfriend have fights all the time and not just verbal fights, they actually have fist fights. They beat each other all the time and she is also a drinker, which doesn't J.P. at all. But she eventually takes him to the hospital, where this whole story develops in more detail. The reason the author does this is to let us now how troubled the narrator was because he was always getting in arguements.
ReplyDelete(Charles Stewart) The author in this story uses several supporting characters in order to help build up the environment of which he wants you to view the main character in. One of the supporting characters in the story is J.P. who is an alcoholic. J.P even gets to the point where he and his wife get in fist fights and his wife’s brother and father end up dragging J.P. to Frank Martins drying-out facility. The author uses J.P. as a supporting character to be a precursor to what could happen to him if he keeps following the same path he is on. The narrator is also reluctant to tell us his girlfriend’s name because he does not want us to view her as a permanent fixture in his life. She is crutch to him and enables his drinking and does not encourage him to stop my guess is that when he is able to get his drinking under control she will be out of the picture. For me she is a symbol for his alcoholism. These other people in this story all represent something in his life that is and obstacle he must overcome or something that is aiding him in his development such as Frank Martin.
ReplyDelete(Jesse Reisman) In "Where I'm Calling From", the author uses many supporting characters to help the audience understand the story in an easier way. Some of the supporting characters that Raymond Carver illustrates are Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin. Tiny is described as a big, fat guy who is an electrician. Joe Penny also known as J.P. is about thirty years old. He is a chimney sweep and is characterized as a drunk. Roxy is J.P.'s wife. She is also a chimney sweep. She was first brought into the story as a flasback for when J.P. met her for the first time. They were both around 17 or 18 years old at the time. Frank Martin is the owner of the restaurant named after him in the story. All of these supporting characters represent many of the hardships that the narrator faced in his life.
ReplyDeleteIn the story "Where I'm Calling From", the author introduces many minor characters to help us understand the story. Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin. J.P. is a drunk just like the narrator. He helps us understand the narrator more because the narrator's life is very closely related to J.P.'s. It seems that a lot of these characters cannot get along with the girlfriends and wives, which we know is because of the drinking. I believe the other characters in the story symbolize something. Whether it is drinking, arguing, or just not being happy, i believe the other characters symbolize something that is wrong with his life.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the story we as the audience have no clue that these characters are in a rehab center or that Frank Martin runs it. We are led to believe that this is a restaurant and they are just there to eat. Throughout the story we find out that this a a rehab center for alcoholics. We learn this through other characters. J.P.'s story is a key part in helping us realize that this is a rehab center. Tiny having the seizure also helped us.
Delete(Jarrod Drown) “Where I’m Calling From”, uses many characters to show us the readers ways of describing the narrators surrounding and other motifs throughout the story. Carver makes this a successful way of giving us the reader a better feel of the story by using characters by describe them and the choices they make and their personality to help us get a better mental picture of story. One character that was used in the story was named J.P. or Joe Penny. What we learned from him was that he gave us the motif of alcohol in this story, by it said “first and foremost a drunk”. This lets us as the reader start to wonder where this is taking place because all of the other characters also seem to be alcoholics just that they aren’t said to be as straight forward as J.P. was said. But we begin to think that this story is actually taking place in some sort of rehabilitation center or house for struggling alcoholics. All of the minor characters also seem to be struggling with something so it’s a sign that they all have a problem.
ReplyDeleteIn "Where I'm Calling From", the author uses many minor characters to help build upon the narrator of the story. The first minor character we meet is a guy named J.P. J.P and the narrator are so alike, that you can say that J.P is a foil of the narrator. They both are alcoholics and both work as chimmney sweepers. They also have relationship problems that are very similar. J.P is a visual to the narrator of how his life can be if he does not change the way he acts.
ReplyDelete(Dennis Counihan)This is a story full of many minor characters. This gave me much concern that it would end up being a story full of answered questions about many character. But Carver does manage to answer most questions about the character, though he does pay more attention to certain characters. You have to expect that because even authors have the biased moments. This story brings alcoholism into the story which seems to be a reoccurring factor in the stories of Carver. Carver also uses bits of humor in his story. For example you have Tiny who is a big fat electrician who ends up having a seizure at the beginning of the story. This begins the trail of the many problems that he runs into. JP also known as Joe Penny begins his life career as a chimney sweep in possibly one of the strangest ways. He finds his interest in this career due to a kiss from a female chimney sweep by the name of Roxy. After this moment Joe Penny knew that he was going to be a chimney sweep. This to me is a very strange way to discover you life career. But as in ins Carvers other stories alcoholism seems to be the downfull of his many character lives.
ReplyDelete"Where I'm Calling From" uses the personalties from other minor characters to further develop the main character and our understanding of the main character. J.P. is the closet to the narrator in that he constantly drinks and has a loose relationship with his wife. J.P and his wife always fight but love each other. However, the main character barely talks to his wife let alone love her. Tiny also shadows the main character's drinking problem. Tiny drank alcohol like it was water and practically drank himself to death. Lastly, Roxy is used as an opposite to the main character's wife. Akthough she and J.P fight a lot, they truly love each other. The main character and his wife barely talk or see each other.
ReplyDeleteIn the story "Where I'm Calling From" the author, Raymond Carver, successfully uses minor characters to help introduce the main and major characters. One of the first characters he introduces to reader is Tiny. The theme of the story is again the the issue with alcohol. Another minor character introduced is an alcoholic named J.P. By introducing the minor characters first, it gives us the readers a better understand of the story and what the theme and other and in which this case in alcoholism. We learn that the characters are in a hospital similar to some kind of rehab facility. Although Carver doesn't come out and say it he uses words like "drunk" to tell us where the characters are. The theme of alcohol seems to be a pattern in Carver's stories. Another popular theme is darkness and family problems.
ReplyDelete(James Deal)In "Where I'm Calling From", Carver uses minor characters as foils to the narrators alcohol problem. J.P. is similar to the narrator because he also drinks frequently and is about the same age. J.P. is the only character in the story who openly is associated with being a drunk. The motif that stands out most is alcohol.It seems to cause problems with the characters relationships throughout the story. The narrator faced rough times in his life and I think the characters help symbolize that.
ReplyDelete(Thacker King) Raymond Carver uses a unique way of introducing his own problems through other minor characters throughout the story, "Where I'm Calling From." There are a few different minor characters throughout this story such as: J.P., Tiny, and Roxy. All of these characters are experiencing similiar problems of that of the narrarator's. Their main problem, as well as the narrarator's is alcohol. What I think is unique about this story is that nothing is told directly to the reader, but from what I can concur, all of these characters are in some sort of rehabilitation center for their drinking problems. Statements such as; "They said he'd been in here for nearly two weeks and that he was over the hump" hint this. We see throughout the story that drinking is bringing out violent actions towards there loved ones, and I think the narrarator is finally understanding that he needs to put an end to this terrible crisis.
ReplyDelete(Brandon Campbell) In “Where I’m Calling From”, Raymond Carver uses the other smaller characters to give us more insight on the main character. J.P who is the closest friend to the main character in Frank Martin’s facility tells a great deal of the story. J.P who is almost has the same problems as the main character has the best foil throughout this story to develop the main character’s position. J.P, Tiny, and the guy who travels, and Roxy all have problems with alcohol and are all tools to help us understand the main character dilemma in this story. Even Jack London was included in this story and all of these people relate to the main character in terms of the difficulties that occur before, during, and after the main character’s alcoholism.
ReplyDelete“Where I’m Calling From” is another great story by Raymond Carver except it gives us a better picture of the narrator through the supporting characters. The characters give identity to the narrator by their actions throughout the story. We know the narrator has drinking problems because he is talking to a minor character named J.P. at a drying out facility. J.P tells the narrator stories about his troubled life leading him to the drying out facility and the narrator is eager to hear them which gives you a sense that the narrators life was almost just like J.P’s. This story seems to be like any other Raymond Carver story in which a working class person becomes stressed and begins drinking until they become an alcoholic. The alcoholism then leads to violence toward loved ones like J.P. and Roxy fighting each other. I believe Carver is once again trying to prove a point on the strength of alcohol and its affects on others. Each character in this story is struggling with alcoholism or is affected by a loved ones alcohol abuse.
ReplyDelete(Elliot Kooden) In the story “Where I’m Calling From” Carver uses a lot of minor characters as foils to the main one. All of the characters in the story have drinking problems. He uses a lot of characters having alcohol problems but JP or Joe Penny, is the main one Carver uses as a drinking problem. Carver and JP are almost the same person or character because they have a lot of similarities. Some of their similarities include drinking, and working together at Frank Martin. The main theme of this whole story is that Carver uses drinking as the motif. Drinking also helps bring the narrator and JP closer with JP’s stories that he tells the narrator.
ReplyDelete(Elliot Kooden Continued)Another way Carver uses minor characters such as JP, is he relates it to his own life and what he went through. Carver himself wasn’t a drinker but his father was a major alcoholic. A previous story we read “My Father’s Life” Carvers dad is constantly drinking throughout his whole life. This is very similar to JP. Carver might be using JP as a character to represent his father since maybe Carver didn’t want to keep talking about him. Frank Martin which is a recovery place for alcoholics is where most of the setting takes place. I think Carver is trying to say that maybe his father should have gone into one of those places because it might have helped him. Maybe Carver was to afraid to tell his father that he needs to be in a recovery place.
Delete(Matthew Freedman)In the story, "Where I'm Calling From," all of the characters, including the narrator have some connection with alcoholism. They are all at a drying out facility. The narrator listens to J.P tell his story. It helps him escape his own problems with alcohol. J.P. tells about how his drinking destroyed his marriage and made he and his wife fight physically. This reminds the narrator of himself. He is at the facility for the second time. The first time, his wife brought him there, and this time, his girlfriend dropped him off. Just like J.P., he has trouble with relationships.
ReplyDeleteFrank Martin, who runs the facility, tells them that Jack London lived over the hills close by until alcohol killed him. He suggests they read "Call of the Wild." Another character, Tiny has a seizure at the breakfast table, which the narrator can relate to. He says he has jerk movements and a dry mouth and he notices that J.P. also shakes. These characters help show the reader how alcoholism affects people.
In “Where I’m Calling From” Raymond carver uses many minor characters to bring his story together. In the story miner characters represent the hardships that the main character is put through. They help to describe the main character as well. In “Where I’m Calling from” the minor characters are Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin. Tiny is described as an over weight electrician. J.P. is a 30 year old chimney sweep who is also a alcoholic like the narrator. J.P.'s wife, Roxy, is also a chimney sweep. J.P most closely resembles the narrator because he is also a drunk and he is in the rehab center with him. Frank Martin is the owner of the restaurant in the story. In the beginning of the story we think that the story takes place in a restaurant but as the story goes on we realize that they are in a alcoholism rehab center. We learn this through the minor characters and the conversations they have. All of the minor characters reassemble the narrator and describe him. Each minor character resembles the main one in a different way.
ReplyDeleteOne thing Carver does in the story, "Where I'm Calling From" is use a few minor character to ultimately describe the main one. One thing you notice through out the story with the the characters, is that they all struggle with alcholism. We know this because they are at a drying out facility. The main people talked about that deal with alcholism is J.P.,Tiny,and Roxy.What we know about the narrator, is that they struggle with alcohol too. Alcohol can affect the person involved, and many loved ones around them, and Carver tries to show that.
ReplyDelete(Daniel Kennedy) Raymond Carver uses a unique form of relating the story to his audience in "Where I'm Calling home." He presents to the reader many different characters especially for a short story, those being, Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin. I think this technique makes the story more genuine. Because everything in the story is told either by the narrator, or it is told to the narrator from a friend. For instance, J.P. relives his whole life story to the narrator on the front porch. This type of storytelling creates a realistic and true setting for the reader. Another thing about this short story is that Raymond Carver doesn't forget to include alcohol as a main issue in the story. He and all his friends are rehabilitating from alcohol and each has their own struggles that come along with it. Carver displays the various drinking problems through the use of different characters and shows what each character is struggling with because of alcohol.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe main character, an unnamed man, has been dropped off at Frank Martin’s alcohol rehabilitation center by his girlfriend, not to be confused with his wife. After arriving he encounters J.P. who starts telling him his story. J.P. is a drunken chimney sweep whose father-in-law has recently dropped him off at Frank Martin’s as well. He tells the story of how he met his wife, Roxy, one afternoon at his friend’s house. She was a chimney sweep that asked to kiss J.P.’s friend when she was done cleaning his chimney when J.P. asked for a kiss as well. As J.P. continues his story it becomes about how alcohol has ruined his marriage to his wife.The story ends with the main character contemplating calling his wife and then calling his girlfriend.The use of alcohol in this story was big for the downfall of the main character and unfortunately had something to do with his problem.
ReplyDelete(Nicholas Mock) Carvers Where I’m Calling From was written to show a similarity between the narrator and its minor characters. The story takes place in a recovery home where the narrator is surrounded by someone with similar addictions. J.P. is a minor character that comes up throughout the story. His story is of love, alcohol abuse and then losing that love. J.P.s wife Roxy remains by his side in hopes that he will recover and her addictions make her feel like a hypocrite. J.P.s story mimics the narrators. We can better understand that the narrator has gone through life in a very vigorous and no sober way in which he has lost everyone and everything he loves because of his addictions.
ReplyDeleteCarver through an unnamed man tells the stories of many people and how alcohol has affected their life. In “Where I’m calling from” the narrator describes the characters around him, which in return reflects an image about the narrator. The minor characters are being used as foils by the author to help the reader have a better understanding of the main character, the narrator. The author, Carver, opens the narrators life to the reader and how he is involved by first explaining some of the complications of J.P. and tiny. The narrator has been dropped off at the dry-facility by his girlfriend. The narrator has a wife also and it is hard for the reader to interpret what the author is telling the reader due to the fact that he will tell you certain things that makes you feel sorry for the narrator and then he will tell you things about him that makes the reader seem disappointed in the narrator due to his lack of certain morals. Personally I think the author does this to explain to the reader that life is more complicated then a black and white picture. Actually the author tells the reader that life consist of many influences both inside and out and life is complicated to the point of not fully understanding it until a person has been enlighten. The other point the author is attempting to reflect is that alcohol is a bad thing and it will probably land whom ever drinks it in a place of regret and disappointment. The last thing the author is trying to tell the reader is that even when people fall into a hole and they seem to be different, they are still humans, they are still a person and should be treated as such. Carver is deep and very opinioned in his writing.
ReplyDelete(Joseph Bunger)
ReplyDeleteIn the story, "Where I'm Calling From", opens with describing J.P. J.P. is a thirty year old drunk who is in reab with the narrator. During the story, Carver places a narrator in the same rehad with J.P. and thats where they meet. Both men were dropped off at the rehab by someone in their life, J.P. was dropped off by his father in law, while the narrator was dropped off by his girlfriend, not his wife. Alcohol has played a big role in both mens lives, and has shown that consuming to much alcohol can ruin anyones life. J.P.'s use of alcolhol has ruined things with his marriage and the narrotrs addiction has cauased him to get a girlfriend while still married.
(Conor Powers) One important character in Carvers story, “where im calling from”, is J.P. J.P. is around the same age as the main character and they are also friends. During the story, we find out that the main character is staying at a rehabilitation center called Frank Martin’s. the main character never tells us directly that he has a drinking problem but we learn from J.P. that they are there for almost the same thing. Both have a drinking problem, both have family issues, and they both wish to speak to their wife. Another character that gives supporting details for the main character is Roxy. Roxy is J.P’s wife. From what J.P. tells us about Roxy, we can assume that the main characters wife is similar. They are probably both working class women, and they both deal with their husbands drinking an outbursts. Furthermore, both of their husbands love them and are trying hard to make things better. The owner of the rehabilitation center, Frank Martin also gives supporting detail to the main character. Frank Martin symbolizes sobriety and peace in the story. We can assume that J.P. and the main character both wish to be sober like Frank.
ReplyDelete(Will Robinson) Carver’s short story Where I’m Calling From uses its support characters to tell how the main character really is in the story. The first character that we see that relates to the main character is J.P. His story is that he finds love, gets married, starts a family, finds an alcohol addiction, begins abusing his wife while at the same time she is abusing him, and then looses everything. Yet through the loss his wife stays by his side with her addictions as well. J.P.’s life mirrors the one of the narrators and tells how he also has loved, drank, and lost everything just like his secondary character.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe foils in the stories of carver are the to explain the main character. They are there to make you understand how the author wants you to see them. When put next to someone else it is a comparison of you. If you are put next to the scum of the earth you will look like a good and noble person. But at the same time you can be put next to a good person and you can look like satin himself. No one is the best everyone has someone better than them in some way. The author uses the foils and the characters to foil his life as well. Make it so he does not seem so bad or different from the rest of the world.
ReplyDelete(Matt Blohm) In "Where I'm Calling From", the author uses the support of multiple minor characters to help describe the main character as well as tie the story up together. Some of these minor characters used in the story are Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin. These minor characters are important because they are very alike to the character in that all of them are unhappy or have difficulty getting along with their girlfriends or wives. The main problem being alcohol. Alcohol is important because it is both a forte of the story but also of in many of Carver's works, which symbolizes that there is a severe problem in the character's life.
ReplyDeleteThe main character has been dropped off at a alcohol rehab facility. And the author and narrater has similairties with the minor characters in the rehab facility. The major motif with this story is alcoholism. Along with the other stories we have read by Carver. Alcohol can effect the lives of many when just one person struggles with it.
ReplyDeleteIn Raymond Carver "Where I'm Calling From" shows a group of alcoholic going to rehab center. Even though the narrator is unknown throughout the story starts J.P. front porch which explains the story to make the reader understand. This is important because it shows that they are all similar due to the fact that they show there love for the alcohol. Carver uses alcohol because in society we use it to get away. I think Carver uses alcohol because he has a life expirence with his father.
ReplyDeleteFor such a short story “Where I’m Calling From” has many minor characters. Raymond Carver uses these characters to reveal hidden things about the narrator that without these characters would be overlooked. The first thing is alcohol. This is a recurring factor in all of Carvers books. We find out that he is a big drinker from one of the minor characters. The alcoholism causes many problems for him, for instance his health and his relationships. He and his girlfriend get in physical fights and no relationship can last like that. J.P, one of the minor characters, is the first person to bring in the motif of alcohol. It says “First and foremost a drunk” when he is introduced into the story. All of the minor characters are important because they are all alike. Most of them have alcohol problems which leads to relationship problems.
ReplyDeletethere are a lot of characters raymond carver uses these people and different ways to reveal the bad and good things about the narrater so we can better understand the whole thing about the narrator the first motif would be the apperance of alcahol subtance abuse is a reoccuring factor in all of the carver storys. one character reveals he is a huge drinker and proably is in to far and probaley cant get back in. the alcahol is endangering his health and relationships and he and his girlfriend get in physical fights so that relationship wont last jp is first to bring up alcahol when introduced al characters are important and very simular with alcohol and bad relationships.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, Where I’m calling from, the narrator who I believe is carver himself, is brought to rehab for his girlfriend for being an alcoholic. Alcoholism, as in almost every almost piece by Raymond Carver, is a major motif in this story. While in rehab, the narrator befriends another drunk named JP. Alcohol has played a huge role in both of their lives, and has shown that with an alcohol addiction anyone’s life can be ruined. J.P.'s use of alcohol has ruined the relationship in his marriage and the narrators’ addiction has caused him to cheat on his wife and even develop a whole new girlfriend. I think Carver has expressed how alcohol affected his own life through this short story.
ReplyDeleteIn “Where I’m Calling From” Raymond carver uses many minor characters to bring his story together.Some of these minor characters used in the story are Tiny, J.P., Roxy, and Frank Martin.The minor characters are being used as foils by the author to help the reader have a better understanding of the main character, the narrator.Tiny is described as an over weight electrician. J.P. is a 30 year old chimney sweep who is also a alcoholic like the narrator. J.P.'s wife, Roxy, is also a chimney sweep.The owner of the rehabilitation center, Frank Martin also gives supporting detail to the main character. Frank Martin symbolizes sobriety and peace in the story. All of the minor characters resemble the narrator. Each minor character resembles the main one in a different way.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story “Where I’m calling from” the authors uses a method of introducing the minor characters in order to get to the main characters. Tiny happens to be the first minor character introduced in the story. We soon learn that the main idea of this story has to do with alcoholism and slight depression. We can concur that the setting is a type of rehabilitation place where the characters all have some sort of problem that they are dealing with and using each other to do so. Each of these characters have some sort of dark and gloomy past which contributes to the theme of depression that Carver is known for using over and over agan.
ReplyDelete“Where I am calling from” is a very symbolic story in which the characters symbolize something bigger than what the reader sees in them. Carver introduces the smaller characters first in order to show the reader how important the bigger characters really are. In this story the characters are in a rehab type hospital. Obviously these characters are all have some sort of an addiction problem in which they are trying to recover from. The first minor character that is introduced is someone named Tiny. Tiny is an alcoholic and also deals with some depression. Things like alcoholism and depression seem to be a very popular theme used in Carver's stories.
ReplyDelete