Put Myself In My Shoes
"Put Yourself in My Shoes" is one of the longest and most complex stories in the collection, and one of its finest. In addition, it brings together a number of the themes and images that have recurred throughout the book. For example, it depicts the kind of interaction between two couples that we have seen in "Neighbors" and "What's in Alaska?"; in this case, the Myerses go to visit the Morgans, whose house they had lived in for a year while Professor Morgan and his wife were in Germany, but whom they have not seen since. Furthermore, the issue of empathy that surfaced in "Fat," "Neighbors," and "The Idea," the ability to visualize oneself in another's perspective, is so central ...
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despicable", when his wife calls to invite him to the office Christmas party. But he doesn't want to go, mainly because the textbook publishing company where she works is also his former place of employment. Like Marston in "What Do You Do in San Francisco?" Myers is feeling the guilt of the
unemployed, which is intensified by the fact that he moves in a much more upscale
setting that is typical of Carver's protagonists. Myers is also reluctant to pay a holiday call on the Morgan, although his wife, Paula, finally convinces him to go. The meeting does turn out to be quite an uncomfortable occasion, however. As they approach the house, Myers narrowly avoids being attacked by the Morgans' dog. Shortly thereafter, following a seemingly inoffensive discussion of writing, the Morgans themselves more directly attack him. Edgar Morgan, from the beginning of their encounter seems to be acting "odd" and on edge for some unknown reason. When Paula asserts that her husband "writes ...
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coed who fell in love with a married man. Think about her for a moment, and then you see the possibilities for your story." Hilda responds that she has no sympathy for the girl at all or for the professor, but only for the wife and child. Myers apparently has no sympathy for any of the people involved, he can only see the black humor of the entire situation. This lack of empathy again calls into question the appropriateness of his vocation as a writer.
Hilda Morgan later narrates another story, that of Mrs. Attenborough, an Australian woman who had collapsed and died while visiting them in their home in Germany. Hilda had left her purse (containing ID cards, a ...
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"Put Myself In My Shoes." Essayworld.com. February 29, 2004. Accessed April 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Put-Myself-In-My-Shoes/3840.
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