A Small Good Thing by Raymond Carver (The Role of the Baker)

 

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.