Where I'm Calling From

Much of the first half of the story focuses on J.P., whom the narrator introduces as “first and foremost a drunk. But he’s also a chimney sweep” (208). This introduction immediately emphasizes some of the story’s key tonal and emotional elements, which include an intricate balance of shame and tenderness. It also highlights the story’s setting; the narrator chooses these words not because he intends to be reductive or disparaging but because it is alcohol addiction, “first and foremost,” that brings any patient to this rehabilitation facility. The introduction therefore expresses both a gallows humor and a sense of solidarity despite connoting the feelings of shame that the narrator must eventually confront.

Although his real name is Joe Penny, J.P. retains a certain sense of anonymity by insisting on being referred to by his initials. Still, readers learn more about his backstory than they do about the narrator’s. Like the narrator, J.P. now faces personal and relational problems due to his alcohol addiction, which has led him to a breaking point that caused his in-laws to bring him to Frank Martin’s. However, the narrative depicts a small part of his recovery, as he learns to confront his life through talking about it: J.P. is a storyteller who makes sense of the world by narrativizing it. One of his formative childhood memories is the incident when he fell down a dry well. Although terrified by being stuck in the confined space, he also experienced a sense of calmness and was struck by the fact that “nothing fell on him and nothing closed off that little circle of blue” (210), which was the sky visible through the top of the well. Entering that world of the well and then leaving it seems to have left J.P. with a sense of fear and a lack of direction, though this emotional disorientation lifts somewhat when he meets Roxy and decides to become a chimney sweep. However, alcohol addiction has derailed his marriage and his career.

Carver depicts J.P. as timid yet hopeful. When Frank Martin comes out on the porch to talk to J.P. and the narrator, J.P. says, “I feel like a bug when he’s around. […] He makes me feel like a bug” (215). Despite his pain and diffident demeanor, J.P. derives hope and power from telling his story, which hints at a good chance of reconciliation with Roxy.

Two characters are essential to the story but never appear in the present moment of the narrative: the narrator’s girlfriend and his wife. Everything readers learn about these two characters is mediated through the narrator. Even when there are direct quotes from these characters, readers must rely on the narrator’s word for their veracity. Both characters face significant hardship and a strained relationship with the narrator.

The narrator’s girlfriend is at first characterized as irresponsible when the narrator recalls her driving under the influence. However, subsequent details reveal that she has faced many recent struggles, the emotional stress of which likely compromised her judgment or ability to think clearly. These struggles include the fact that she has taken in the narrator after he was kicked out of the house by his wife, that she has received concerning results from a Pap smear, and that her relationship with her son is faltering. Although the narrator initially presents his girlfriend as being similar to himself in terms of alcohol use, the later details complicate the picture and call into question whether her relationship with alcohol truly resembles the narrator’s. By the end of the story, the narrator and his girlfriend have not spoken since she dropped him off, but he is confident she will answer his phone call. This suggests a glimmer of hope for the couple.

The narrator introduces his wife after mentioning his girlfriend, creating an unexpected narrative turn. Although the narrator no longer lives with his wife, he does not refer to her as his ex-wife, suggesting that they are not divorced. The narrator’s wife is a mysterious character, and nearly everything the narrator says about her relates to his addiction. She was the first person to bring him in for treatment, and since then, their relationship has deteriorated because of his refusal to commit to that treatment. The only other glimpse of the narrator’s wife comes from the narrator’s memory from early in their marriage. This memory gives a much different portrait of his wife, depicting someone jovial and romantic. By the end of the story, the narrator intends to listen to his wife speak candidly about her pain. However, he also plans to call his girlfriend, and it is unclear how he will reconcile having both relationships.