What we talk about when we talk about love

I really enjoyed the complete contrast that Carver uses between Ed and Mel. Both of the men have unhealthy perceptions of love, but only one of their thoughts of love is seen as obviously unhealthy. Ed has a very unhealthy view on love. He is abusive toward Terri but believes that he is in the right. He drags her around the room but feels it is acceptable because he tells her that he loves her. Not only is he abusive to the woman he "loves," but he threatens to kill the new man that she has in her life. Ed uses violence to cover up for his own insecurities that he has in the relationship he is in. When Terri decides to leave him because of his violence, Ed becomes even more crazed. Ed threatens to kill Terri and Mel and he tries multiple times to end his own life because he cannot be with Terri. He is incapable of moving on and finding somebody else to love. Mel, on the other hand, has the complete opposite view of love. I like that Carver has Mel lecture everybody about his views of love when Mel also has unhealthy beliefs. Mel believes that if something horrible was to happen to his loved one, that he could move on and find another "soul mate" immediately. He tells about the old man who was suffering from heartbreak because he could not look at his wife, and he does not understand it. I think most people would hear that story and believe that it could become a perfect (if not typical) Hollywood romance movie. Mel thinks this guy is crazy, though, and does not see how one could possibly love another person that much. Carver tells this to the reader in a way that the reader can see that both men have unhealthy views on love, but neither one can see that their view is unhealthy. I think it was a very interesting way to tell the story and it really added to the idea that many of us have misconceptions of love.