Comparing and Contrast

Aimee Bender’s story “Tiger Mending,” underscores themes of characterization describing behavioral habits based on association. Raymond Carver’s story “Popular Mechanics,” uses themes of characterization and diction to explain responses or reactions to events. It is apparent by juxtaposing these two short stories that characters are dependent, and they have different responses or reactions depending of the events. In “Tiger Mending” and “Popular Mechanics” the writers use characterization to reveal the possible fictionality that anybody can be dependent on family members, partners, or friends.
Bender uses metaphors to explain that the main character of “Tiger Mending” has to be with her sister to “fly” both in a plane and in life. The author expresses: “The only way she [her sister] can relax on a flight is if I am [main character] there, because I am always, always having some kind of crisis, and she focuses in and fixes me and forgets her own concerns” (122). The girl will not fly or be free on her own, she always needs her sister. While Carver uses metaphor and imagery to describe that in a marriage or in a relationship the wife is the one that is going to depend on the husband. In the story one can decipher this explanation of how a girl can be dependent when the author shows that the girl is saying: “I’m glad you’re leaving! I’m glad you are leaving! she said. Do you hear?” (279). She does not want him to go but she is full of pride. That means that the main characters of both stories depend on other people to reach important things, the wife to deal her life and the girl to achieve a great level concentration.
In both stories the main characters are acting really impulsive, pulling away from the person that they were relying on for a long time. The main character in “Tiger Mending” reveals her feelings by saying “No” to her sister. Similarly, in “Popular Mechanics,” the wife depends on the main character, but she pulls away from her husband when she says: “Son of a bitch! I’m so glad you’re leaving! She began to cry. You can’t even look me in the face, can you?” (879). She contradicts herself by saying that she is happy that he is leaving, but then she starts to cry because she wants him there.
The main characters in both of the stories are indifferent to their loved ones’ responses to their actions. In the conclusion of “Tiger Mending” the narrator states, “She tried to hug me, but I pulled away. No, I said, and in the morning, I left for the airport” (126). The fact that the narrator did not describe her sister’s response convey that she was indifferent about her sister felt when she left. It is very clear that the narrator did not care about her sister’s response because she never mentioned it. The narrator in “Popular Mechanics,” explains that the husband is that one that acts indifferent when he says, “But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided” (880). The husband was indifferent when he was pulling the baby and leaving his wife. One can create their own conclusion of “Popular Mechanics,” they did a compromise or the baby died. Therefore, in both stories one can know that the main character was dependent.
In both stories one can imagine or create their own end because the stories have an unsolved ending. The author in “Tiger Mending” gives the acknowledgement that the main character tells her sister that she does not need her help anymore. When she says: “She [her sister] tried to hug me, but I pulled away. No, I said, and in the morning, I left for the airport” (126). The author in “Popular Mechanics” also gives another unsolved ending when he writes: “In this manner, the issue was decided” (880). By now there is a good understanding of the way in which the unintended consequences of actions can go. The characters are similar because they both rely on other people until the very end of the story.
Both “Tiger Mending” and “Popular Mechanics” show that anyone can be dependent on family members, partners, or friends. Aimee Bender’s story “Tiger Mending,” explains that anyone can be dependent, based on the actions that the main character does. Raymond Carver’s story “Popular Mechanics,” explains that in a relationship, the weakest person is going to be the person that depends on the other. Even though these stories are fiction one can use them as a possible reality because they show that anyone can depend on family members, partners, or friends to do or achieve things.