Uncovering Alcoholism In Chef's House By Raymond Carver

In the short story "Chefs House," the author Raymond Carver, introduces a recovering alcoholic named Wes, whose friend, a recovering alcoholic named Chef, allows him to live in his house. Wes invites his wife Edna to come stay with him, even though the two are separated. Edna agrees to stay with Wes for the summer, and she leaves her boyfriend, who also appears to be a recovering alcoholic. They both begin to live their lives together again, but this is interrupted when Chef needs them to leave at the end of the summer so his daughter can move in. Wes appears to be a weaker willed person than Edna and gives into his anger, and does not seem reluctant to go back to alcoholism when things are not going well.

Wes's character appears to be dependent and is shown to be irresponsible. His marriage with Edna did not work out and they are now separated and have moved on. Wes is an angry and careless person. He gives up easily, and this can be seen when "Wes was drunk and threw his ring into a peach orchard"(28), and when he returns to alcoholism when he becomes desperate or distressed. Although he tries to be strong and tries to keep control of his life, his personality does not allow him to do this and drinking seems like the only way out. Wes's
children do not seem to be fond of him or Edna and they "keep their distance"(29), perhaps because of Edna and Wes's poor relationship and careless behavior. Wes has a pessimistic personality and when "Chef got out of his car and hitched his pants"(29); both Edna and Wes knew something was wrong, but Edna seemed to handle it better. Wes also shows his negative look on things when he "got up and pulled the drapes"(33). This displays Wes's negativity and to him, returning to alcoholism seems like the only way to handle things.

Edna's character demonstrates a stronger willed personality, and unlike Wes, does not seem to give up often. Although she may have been an alcoholic in the past, she has learned to be stronger and to not resort to drinking when things get rough. Edna is more optimistic about things, and although she is reluctant to live with Wes again, she finally agrees, and tells her boyfriend that she needs to move in with him "for Wes's sake"(28). Edna does not seem to regret moving in with Wes again.

"We drank coffee, pop, and all kinds of fruit juice that summer. The whole summer, that's what we had to drink. I found myself wishing the summer wouldn't end"(28).

This shows that she enjoyed her summer spent with Wes again, even though the two had problems, such as alcoholism, in the past.
Edna is a co-dependent person, and she allows the drinking and bad behavior because she needs that in her life. After separating from Wes, she moves on to someone that also has problems with alcohol. She may appear to be the stronger one, but perhaps is not because she seems to need someone that engages in bad behavior to depend on her. After they find out they will need to leave the house Edna tells Wes to "go easy"(31), because she can tell that Wes is thinking too and too negatively about the situation. Edna handles the circumstances better than Wes and does not seem to think as
unconstructive.

The final sentence of Chef's house, "I thought, and that will be the end of it"(33), can lead to multiple possible outcomes. The end of "it" could mean the end of Edna and Wes's relationship all together. It could also mean the end of Edna living with Wes or perhaps the end of Wes being upset about moving out of Chef's house. It is human nature to look at the negative things a bad situation brings, and this is what Wes does when he learns he must leave the house. It is hard for people like Wes to change and this can be seen when Wes continues to go back to alcohol when things are not going well.