Analytical Essay of “Reunion”
Analytical Essay of “Reunion”
“Reunion” is a short story written by the American novelist, and short story writer John William Cheever.
The story is taking place in the 1960’s New York and it begins at Grand Central station. A train station is often a symbol of a place with a lot of hellos or goodbyes, and in this particular case, it starts with a hello. The main character Charlie and his father, has not been able to see each other in about three years, because of a hardly divorce between Charlie’s parents. Charlie is traveling from his grandmother’s in the Adirondacks to a cottage on the cape, and mid travel, he would have to wait an hour and a half for another train at Grand Central. Therefore, he asked his father, if they could eat lunch together twelve o’clock between trains, which his father replied, through his secretary.
The reader is getting the impression of that Charlie is really looking forward to meet his father again. When Charlie saw his father coming through the crowd, it says, “He was a stranger to me” (l. 7). It implies that Charlie is a bit anxious about the upcoming meeting between him and his father, but when Charlie a few seconds later says, “But as soon as I saw him I felt that he was my father”, (l. 9). it implies that Charlie is happy about the reunion, and he is more relaxed as soon as he sees his father.
Charlie is old enough to travel on his own, but he is not old enough to drink alcohol. It implies that he is in the late teenage years, probably about 17 years old. He has built up many expectations of his father, he sees him as his role model while it says, “I knew that when I was grown up, I would be something like him” (l. 11), and “I hoped that someone would see us together. I wished that we could be photographed. I wanted some record of our having been together.” (l.18).
Charlie describes his father as a big good-looking man, who smells of whiskey, after-shave lotion, shoe polish, woolens, and the rankness of a mature
“Reunion” is a short story written by the American novelist, and short story writer John William Cheever.
The story is taking place in the 1960’s New York and it begins at Grand Central station. A train station is often a symbol of a place with a lot of hellos or goodbyes, and in this particular case, it starts with a hello. The main character Charlie and his father, has not been able to see each other in about three years, because of a hardly divorce between Charlie’s parents. Charlie is traveling from his grandmother’s in the Adirondacks to a cottage on the cape, and mid travel, he would have to wait an hour and a half for another train at Grand Central. Therefore, he asked his father, if they could eat lunch together twelve o’clock between trains, which his father replied, through his secretary.
The reader is getting the impression of that Charlie is really looking forward to meet his father again. When Charlie saw his father coming through the crowd, it says, “He was a stranger to me” (l. 7). It implies that Charlie is a bit anxious about the upcoming meeting between him and his father, but when Charlie a few seconds later says, “But as soon as I saw him I felt that he was my father”, (l. 9). it implies that Charlie is happy about the reunion, and he is more relaxed as soon as he sees his father.
Charlie is old enough to travel on his own, but he is not old enough to drink alcohol. It implies that he is in the late teenage years, probably about 17 years old. He has built up many expectations of his father, he sees him as his role model while it says, “I knew that when I was grown up, I would be something like him” (l. 11), and “I hoped that someone would see us together. I wished that we could be photographed. I wanted some record of our having been together.” (l.18).
Charlie describes his father as a big good-looking man, who smells of whiskey, after-shave lotion, shoe polish, woolens, and the rankness of a mature