In Raymond Carver's short story, "What we talk about when we talk about love", the main purpose is to give examples of how deceiving, immeasurable, and cruel love is. Each person had their turn to tell particular love experiences that they have lived. The most prominent of these experiences being from one of the women, Terri, who shared her violent account of abuse with her ex-lover, Ed. She believed that the man loved her too much and did not know how to express it through the emotional; as well as physical affection we are told throughout our lives, is the complete elation that is love. On the other hand Terri's current husband, Mel, was quick to be the judge of reason and points out how differently people see love. He thought Ed to be a psychotic man that had stalked them both, always fearing the possibility that he was waiting outside Mel's workplace, in the bushes with a gun, to fulfill the threats on their lives he would make over the phone. Considering that, it is understandable that Mel believed that Ed had deserved the death he had finally brought upon him self, and in addition wasn't too upset with the fact that that man is now gone from the world, but yet somehow still remains in the mind and heart of the woman he loves.
             The episode with Terri and Mel, struggling against love-crazed Ed suggests the darker side of love. The text hints that despite all that had been done to them, Terri still could not look past her former affection (that of which's positive aspects were never brought to light). For the man who put their life through so much hell, she could not let go of the mind-set that he had loved her, probably to the point of insanity. Perhaps that is love. Compare Ed's ranting, "I love you, I love you, you bitch", while he knocked her around the living room, to the "love" a bitter man would have towards the loyal but naive dog he would kick down the sta...