The central theme I would like to discuss is love and relationships, specifically how alcohol contributes to love ending in tragedy, destruction, loneliness, suffering, and violence.
One literary element I would like to focus on is character, because there are several characters throughout the stories who have destroyed or are destroying the love that they had because of alcohol, or they are using alcohol to cope with their emotions, or both.
One story I will use as an example is the title story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
Mel said, I was going to tell you about something. I mean, I was going to prove a point. You see, this happened a few months ago, but its still going on right now, and it ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what were talking about when we talk about love.
Come on now, Terri said. Dont talk like youre drunk if youre not drunk.
Just shut up for once in your life, Mel said very quietly. Will you do me a favor and do that for a minute
Terri looked at us and then back at Mel. She seemed anxious, or maybe thats too strong a word.
Mel was handing the bottle around the table. (p. 146)
In this example, the two couples are a bottle and a half deep in gin and Mel is actually trying to talk about love itself when he tells the woman that he loves to shut up. The more drunk Mel gets, the more rude and destructive toward his wife he becomes. And every time Terri mentions that alcohol may be having a negative influence on him, he lashes out at her.
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