This is a great counter point. I think you're right about the American parables. Sometimes I wasn't even sure what I'd learnt or gained but instead i just sat with the empathy and I think that's what I've learnt about Carver in all the responses. It's the way he describes the little things like how an old man sits down like he's never going to get back up again or how somebody introduces themselves but doesn't leave a name. There is something existential in the ordinary things we can imagine or feel every day