"Popular Mechanics" is a prime example of what can happen when selfishness overcomes sensibility. Sometimes we fight so intensely for what we want that we often lose sight of what matters most which is a fact made overwhelmingly obvious in Carver's theme in this story. The objective point of view used to tell this story helps to remind the reader that it does not matter why the couple is splitting up, all that matters is what happened to the child as a result of their struggle for control. If the story were told in first person the reader might have ended up supporting either the man or woman in their rights to the child which dramatically takes away from the theme Carver intended to convey. In other words, if the reader knew what either party were thinking or why each person felt compelled to take the fight to such an extreme, the reader may see either the man or woman as the victim along with or even instead of the child. By not assigning particular thoughts or motivations for the central characters, Carver effectively forces the reader to feel for the child alone and assign blame to BOTH of the adults.
Additionally, Carver has a subtle way of allowing the reader to infer what happens to the child in the end. He foreshadows the impending struggle by having the woman pick up the picture frame. He again foreshadows by bringing the readers attention to a flowerpot broken during the struggle which could symbolize what ended up happening to the child. Though Carver never actually says the child was injured, his description of the type of force used during the fight implies the couple was unrelenting in their efforts and careless with their actions in regards to the child's physical safety. Though quite ominous and sorrowful, the theme is calculated in its delivery and Carver's message is undeniable: In compassion's absence- the innocent always suffer.
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