Boxes
By Raymond Carver, first published in The New Yorker
After his unhappy mother announces she will move homes once again, he and his girlfriend visit her one last time.
Author
Published in
Year
Words
Availability
Collections
Plot Summary
A man and his girlfriend, Jill, are invited to his mother's house for dinner. His mother is about to move away, and she has had the boxes packed for months. Jill is initially hesitant to accept the invitation, since she does not like his mom, but she eventually acquiesces. He thinks about the events that led up to his mom initially moving. She said that she had nothing going on in her life. He tried to convince her that she would not like it where he lived, but she ignored his warnings. However, she grew to hate the place and wished to move after less than a month there. At one point, she even told her son she was going to kill herself, but she never did. The man reveals that his mother and father were habitual movers, and that she continued this addiction even after the death of her husband. The man and Jill arrive at his mother’s house with their own silverware and they eat fried chicken. During the dinner, Jill asks why she ever left her last place if she claims she liked it. The mother says that it was because of her alcoholic neighbor who used a walker. Jill then tells the mother that her son worries about her. The mother spends her last night at her son's house before she moves. He drops his mother off at the station, and she hugs him for the last time. Back at his house, the son watches a couple go into their house while Jill browses a catalogue.
Tags