Popular Mechanics

In Carver's short story, Popular Mechanics, he tells of a couple in the midst of a tumultuous break-up. In the midst of the chaos, they begin fighting over the baby. The baby is a symbol, the prize for the winner of the argument. Neither really cares about the child, or at least in this frame of mind cannot put its needs above their fight. This is clear by the pain they are causing the child by fighting over it. At one point, the woman even points out "you're hurting the baby". However, neither parent is willing to let go of the child, because it is a representation of a prize, and something to hurt the other with. Carver uses this short story to satire how many broken families work today. Divorce has become more common, often with children caught in the middle, and used by their parents against one another. Carver points out the dangers of parents getting so caught up in their hatred of one another, that they cannot focus on their true priority, the child.