Raymond Carver's The Bath & A Small, Good Things

In Raymond Carver's "The Bath" and a later rewritten version of the short story entitled "A Small, Good Thing", the author provides roughly the same story. A young boy of eight named Scotty is hit by an automobile and taken to the hospital. His ultimate condition is not revealed by Carver in "The Bath" but he dies in "A Small, Good Thing." Crucial to both stories is the baker, who baked Scotty's birthday cake ordered by his mother. Because of the accident, the mother fails to pickup the cake. Despite the similarities of the story, the differences are most significant. The differences between "The Bath" and "A Small, Good Thing" are significant because they represent Carver's development from isolation and existential angst to the need for human forgiveness and compassion.

In "The Bath" and "A Small, Good Thing," Scotty's mother orders his birthday cake from a baker who is unpleasant and communicates only enough to know what kind of cake to make. As we are told in "The Bath," he exchanged "No pleasantries, just this small exchange, the barest information, nothing that was not necessary" (Carver 48). The exchange between the mother and the baker is longer in "A Small, Good Thing," with the mother explaining more about the baker's abrupt demeanor. She is confused that he seems unable to relate to being a parent and experiencing moments like ordering a birthday cake. As she tells us, "There must be that between them, she thought. But he was abrupt

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Category: Literature - R