A Small Good Thing
by
Raymond Carver
(The Role of the Baker)
The baker plays a major part in the entire
story. In fact, the story begins and ends in his bakery.
At
the beginning of the story, he is just a professional, very busy and good at
his job, judging by the number of customers and orders he has. He is quiet and
unfriendly and does not seem to care for anything more than his job.
We
can guess, that he is the one, who makes the anonymous calls to the couple. He
calls at night because that is the time when he works in the bakery. What is
puzzling is why he does not identify himself or why he sometimes makes the call
but then does not say anything. It is perhaps his way of amusing himself, his
only way of entertaining himself.
The
baker is a workaholic and his entire life revolves around his baking. Ann
wonders “if he’d ever done anything else with his life besides be a baker.” His
entire attitude expresses his isolation and unhappiness. Having paid attention
only to his work all his life, his personal life is nothing to speak of and he
does not have the joy of companionship or family. This leads to his bitterness.
It is ironic that although he bakes hundreds of cakes for customers to
celebrate all kinds of festivities, he never experiences them himself. Only his
baking gives him some comfort and food is his way of offering consolation when
Scotty’s parents turn up, angry and grief-stricken at his bakery.
The
image the reader has of the baker changes by the story’s end. He is no longer
cold, hostile or impersonal. He sets aside his disinterestedness and becomes
kind and compassionate. We now see him as a lonely man and this evokes sympathy
for him. The ending, fraught as it is with the pain of the parents, yet holds
out a positive note and restores faith not only in humanity, but in society as
a whole.
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