"Beginners" and WWTAWWTAL

This is a response to Nicole's post earlier.

Like Nicole, I saw that the most apparent difference between the edited and unedited versions of the story is the way that the old couple's pure love is exhibited, but I also noticed the impact on characterization that edited version has. Other than the names changed for all the men in the story, I noticed that Herb and Mel seemed to be almost different men and that Terri in the edited version seems much weaker than she is in Carver's original work. For example, when Terri corrects Mel in the edited version about the word "Vassal," he replies:

"Vassals, vessels [...] what the fuck's the difference? You knew what I meant anyway. [...]. I'm a heart surgeon, sure, but I'm just a mechanic. I go in and I fuck around and I fix things. Shit"

While, in the original version he (Herb/Mel) says:

"Vassals, vessels, ventricles, vas deferens. Well, you knew what I meant anyway. [...]. I'm a heart surgeon, sure, but really I'm just a mechanic. I just go in and fix things that go wrong with the body."

Clearly, the message is the same in that we see Herb/Mel rejecting his wife's correction and sarcastically trying to prove greater intelligence. The difference I see is in the profanity he uses in the edited quote, which emphasizes his drunkenness, ignorance rather than intelligence, and a more grating flaw in his relationship with Terri. In the original quote he downplays any importance in knowing the word "vassals" by making a small joke in listing medical terms, which affirms his medical intelligence.

With Terri, I saw that there was a striking difference in her reaction to Mel hitting on Laura between the two versions of the text. In the edited version, her response is passive. She says, "Tell your story, [...] then we'll go to that new place okay?", disregarding the comment completely. This marks her as a more vulnerable Terri, the Terri who would be in an abusive relationship with Ed. I don't think that this was the way Carver wanted Terri portrayed since, in his original story, she has a much stronger comeback. She says instead, "Herb, you shit, [...] tell your story. If I weren't in love with you, I damn sure well wouldn't be here in the first place, you can bet on it." In Carver's "Beginners", Terri is a stronger character, making her relationship with Mel/Herb more equal in power than the one in WWTAWWTAL.