This paper aims at examining Carver``s short stories in terms of two contrasting attitudes to life, represented by closed consciousness and open consciousness. Characters with closed consciousness in Carver``s earlier stories reveal a gloomy outlook on life; characters with open consciousness in his later stories show a positive attitude to life. The study also discusses the short story of “Feathers,” focusing on contrasting character traits of two married couples. Closed consciousness is bespoken by Carver``s main characters who feel lost and frustrated, as in the short stories “Pastoral,” “Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?” and “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love.” However, an example of open consciousness is best shown in the contrast between “Bath” and its revised lengthy version, “A Small Good Thing”; the shorter version vocalizes the mental state of a panic-stricken mother contemplating her son``s impending death, whereas the revised one stresses the positive attitude of a mother who gets ready to start life without her son, overcoming her grief. An analysis of “Feathers” focuses on the contrasting lifestyles and thinking of two couples: Jack and Fan, and Bud and Olla. Jack and Fran with their closed consciousness are most interested in enjoying their present comfort, neither wanting any nuisance in their marriage nor attempting to achieve anything. Nevertheless, this couple decides to have a baby when they get seduced by the happy life of Bud and Olla despite their indescribably ugly son and his intimidating playmate peacock. Ultimately Fran and Jack, who have never been aware of parental roles and responsibility, get perplexed and lose their way in child-raising. By contrast, Olla and Bud with their open consciousness are characterized by their future-oriented goal setting. The life stories of Olla``s childhood as well as her first and second marriages are recapitulated by her peacock (an emblem of her pursuit of happiness) and by her old plaster-of-Paris cast of crooked and jagged teeth (a reminder of what she was then and what she is thankful for now). Unlike Fran and Jack, Olla and Bud take lessons from the past and project their present conditions into the future. In “Feathers” Carver uses the unhappy couple with no perspective on life as a foil for the happy couple who plans their life and sets goals for a better life.