An Awkward Dinner

I found the short story Feathers really funny. The author really does a good job of pointing out the awkward moments. He really captures the situation perfectly. Jack and Fran go in there not knowing what to expect. As soon as they pull in a peacock falls on their car. From there the entire night is pretty funny. The teeth, the milk with dinner, the ugly baby.
Although I didn't like Fran as a character, I think Carver does a great job of writing her. The way she looks at things, what she says. The best is by far when she looks at the baby and says: "Ah!" That was hilarious.
The story is pretty sad though. The ending is very sad. It talks about how hard it is to be married and how hard it is to make friends. Jack's connection with Bud, although one of friendship, isn't a real connection. Their conversations are pure small talk and they never really act as though they are that good of friends.
What I captured most from this story is that its real. All the characters are very real and the way they live is real as well. Their interactions are real. Carver is trying to portray this type of situation as he sees it. In a way this is kind of like Seinfeld. The story really isn't about anything, just a random dinner. Its realness its what makes it funny. You can imagine the whole thing, you can see it happening to you some day.