A Small, Good Thing

by

Raymond Carver

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Phone Calls Symbol Icon

The baker’s incessant, and somewhat threatening phone calls to Ann and Howard symbolize the miscommunication and lack of connection that can occur when people are wrapped up in their own worries. After Ann forgets to pick up her son Scotty’s birthday cake, the baker calls the Weiss’ home to remind them to pick it up. Howard is the first one to pick up the phone, and he tells the baker he doesn’t know anything about a cake, which the baker responds to with hostility. They are unable to communicate with each other because they are both distracted by their own personal states of mind. Howard is distressed by the accident and concerned about his son, so he is immediately worried about getting a phone call (thinking it’s from the hospital and about Scotty’s condition) and doesn’t think about whether his wife might’ve ordered a cake for Scotty’s birthday. By contrast, the baker is angry about the time and expense of the cake. He never clarifies what he means on the phone because he’s assuming the worst of Howard—that he’s failed to pick up the cake and is refusing to pay for it because he’s lazy, or a bad person, rather than because of extenuating circumstances.

When Ann gets phone calls from the baker, she’s similarly confused. Having already told Howard about the cake—and thus assuming he doesn’t have to explain again what he’s calling about—the baker becomes increasingly vague and hostile. And when he asks Ann if she’s forgotten about Scotty, Ann is immediately frightened, because she assumes it must have something to do with Scotty’s condition in the hospital. The phone calls, with their strangeness and their escalating misunderstandings, thus show how easy it is to misconstrue what someone is trying to say, especially when one is distracted by their own concerns.

Phone Calls Quotes in A Small, Good Thing

The A Small, Good Thing quotes below all refer to the symbol of Phone Calls. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
).
A Small, Good Thing Quotes

Then he began to talk. They listened carefully. Although they were tired and in anguish, they listened to what the baker had to say. They nodded when the baker began to speak of loneliness, and of the sense of doubt and limitation that had come to him in his middle years. He told them what it was like to be childless all these years. To repeat the days with the ovens endlessly full and endlessly empty. The party food, the celebrations he’d worked over. Icing knuckle-deep. The tiny wedding couples stuck into cakes. Hundreds of them, no, thousands by now. Birthdays. Just imagine all those candles burning.

Related Characters: Ann Weiss, Howard Weiss, Scotty Weiss, The Baker, Dr. Francis
Related Symbols: Birthday Cake, Phone Calls
Page Number: 425
Explanation and Analysis:
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Phone Calls Symbol Timeline in A Small, Good Thing

The timeline below shows where the symbol Phone Calls appears in A Small, Good Thing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
A Small, Good Thing
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
Compassion and Comfort Theme Icon
The woman, Ann Weiss, gives her name and phone number, and the baker informs her that the birthday cake will be ready for pickup... (full context)
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
The telephone is ringing as Howard unlocks the door to the house. He thinks the call must... (full context)
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
Howard then pours a glass of whiskey and calls the hospital, but Scotty’s condition hasn’t changed. After shaving, Howard sinks into the bathtub, but... (full context)
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
...Ann to go home and rest, but he warns her about “this creep” who keeps calling the house. Ann asks who it is, but Howard doesn’t know—it’s probably someone with nothing... (full context)
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
When Ann gets home, she feeds the dog and makes tea. The phone rings, and she asks if it’s about Scotty. The caller says it “has to do... (full context)
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
Compassion and Comfort Theme Icon
Howard then advises Ann to ignore the call and come back to the hospital when she’s rested. Then, they can speak with the... (full context)
Joy and Tragedy Theme Icon
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
The phone rings, and Ann answers. The voice says, “Your Scotty, I got him ready for you,”... (full context)
Connection, Understanding, and Adversity Theme Icon
...baker works 16 hours a day, and at night. Ann points out that he makes phone calls at night too, and she calls him a “bastard.” The baker looks at Howard... (full context)