In “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver, Mel McGinnis' occupation as a cardiologist, a doctor who cures broken hearts, is featured clear contradiction with his claim to understand the functioning of the heart with regards to loving and being loved. The disconnect between the healing of his patient's heart and his inability to recognize his own heart disease is exaggerated by the way he addresses the relationship between Ed and Terri, as well as that between the elderly accident victims and his ex-wife Marjorie. A dominant and dominating character in the story, Mel has very strong ideas about love. He believes that “…true love is nothing more than spiritual love” (137), something reinforced by his seminary training. This Commitment The couple, Mel states, were driving down the highway when a drunk nineteen-year-old "ran his father's pickup truck" into the couple's camper (146). Although the driver was declared dead on arrival, the couple survived. They were, however, in critical condition. During his recovery, Mel says, the man was depressed: even after learning that his wife was safe. The reason is that, "...he [the man] couldn't see [his wife] through the eye holes...his heart was breaking because he couldn't turn his damn head and see his damn wife ", an idea that would, according to popular accounts, define the true nature of true love: of the two becoming one (151). Despite her self-proclaimed knowledge on the topic of love, Mel can't imagine two people having such a level of affection for each other that the reality of not being able to see each other interferes with their ability to heal. As a cardiologist, it's Mel's job to mend broken hearts. It's the only area where he feels he can relate to his heart. Yet with this pairing, although she could physically mend the man's broken heart, Mel cannot mend his pain. This leaves Mel confused and his feelings of animosity and venomous hatred for his ex-wife are in direct conflict with his original self-assessment of being capable of understanding and engaging in that enigma known as true love. Mel is, in many cases, his ex-wife's Ed. While Ed engages in the violent act of dragging Terri by her ankles across the apartment, Mel describes, with almost childlike glee, how he fantasized about playing the starring role in her murder. Mel doesn't seem like the kind of man who would commit such an act. However, consider how great it would be to seek revenge against Marjorie in retaliation for her "crimes" against her heart. Therefore, instead of fondly remembering, or even grieving, the lost love between him and his ex-wife, he instead resorts to anger and resentment, neither of which is characteristic of the kind of "love" he so dogmatically professes.