Juxtaposition

In the story Popular Mechanics, Carver uses the opposing natures of his characters to establish the tone of the story. The woman in the story is characterized by her dialogue as upset, angry, and hysterical. Supporting this claim is the scene at the beginning of the story when the man is calmly packing his suitcase and the woman is yelling at him in desperation:

"'I'm glad you're leaving! I'm glad you're leaving!' she said. 'Do you hear?' He kept on putting his things into the suitcase. 'Son of a bitch! I'm so glad you're leaving! She began to cry. You can't even look me in the face, can you?'"

The woman desperately wants a response from her husband, but in trying to elicit one, she acts as if she does not even want him around. However, in contrast to his wife's hysterics, the man remains impassive throughout the entire story. More than once, the man is unresponsive to his wife's effots to engage him in argument, rather focusing on packing his things and getting the heck out of the house! Carver writes:

"He kept putting his things into the suitcase."
"He looked at her...."
"He did not answer."

Carver is clearly juxtaposing the two characters, making for an inconsistent tone. The tone of the story is frantic and hysterical when the woman is speaking but the exact opposite when the man speaks. The clash of these two opposites makes for the culmination of the story, the fight over the baby.