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King Solomon's Wisdom In Popular Mechanics By Raymond Carver

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After reading Raymond Carver’s short story, “Popular Mechanics”, I instantly recognized the connection between Carver’s story and the story of King Solomon’s wisdom. In the biblical account of king Solomon’s reign; Solomon is approached by two women. Both women had both gave birth, one to a stillborn and one to a healthy baby. Both women claimed the healthy baby as their own child. Solomon answered this dilemma by deciding to cut the baby in half and present a piece to each mother; while one woman was alright with Solomon’s decree, the other woman pleaded for the child’s life. Solomon understood that the true parent would worry about the child’s welfare over her own happiness, so Solomon returned the baby to the rightful parent.
In Raymond Carver’s retelling of the King Solomon’s story, deals with a couple going through a break-up or a divorce. The man is packing his suitcase when a woman, “noticed the baby’s …show more content…

Carver’s story is different than most stories in the sense that it gives us the bare minimal information in this story. We have no idea if this couple is married or what caused the break-up, but what information it does provide is essential to the meaning of the story. Carver’s diction is short and to the point, adding a sense of urgency to the short story. I found this story quite effective in addressing the issue of parents that divorce or break-up, who use their children as weapons to fight each other. I have seen the damaging effects in many divorced couples who cannot co-parent due to the hate they have for one another. Sadly, as “Popular Mechanics” portrays, the children are the ones who pay the price. Sometimes as parents we can be selfish; we should strive to act like the true mother in Solomon’s story by considering our child’s welfare in everything we do, including our marriage and even in our

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