Sunday in the Park - Essay
Sunday in the park
"She must do something, stop them, call for help. She wanted to put her hand on her husband's sleeve, to pull him down, but for some reason she didn't" (P2L36)
Through time there has been a large revolution of the gender roles. Women are no longer depending on an economically or physically support from a man, to make a living. Women do no longer need a big and muscular man to take care of them, but does this necessarily mean that they do not want one?
In the short story “Sunday in the park” by Bel Kaufmann the issues of standing up for your own rights and choosing between the “caveman” and the modern man are raised. In the following analysis I will mainly focus on the characters and the theme, to create a better understanding and view of the conflict in the short story.
The narrator of the story is a third person narrator, and is referred to as “she”. In the beginning of the text, she describes an exquisite and pleasant situation, where her family is gathered on a playground. Her son is playing in the sandbox with another boy, and she and her husband is sitting on a bench, watching.
"How good this is, she thought, and almost smiled at her sense of well-being." (P1L9) She describes an enjoyable scene, in which she feels comfortable. Also “She squeezed his (Morton’s) arm affectionately and glanced at Larry, delighting in the pointed little face frowning in concentration…” (P1L12) This quote shows that she is fond of her husband, and wants to show him affection. She truly seems to appreciate the sophisticated qualities of Morton. Their son has the same characteristics as his father, which is an obvious delight to her. The conflict begins when the other boy in the sandbox throws sand at Larry. She tries not to interfere too much because "She always said that she wanted Larry to learn to fight his own battles." (P2L4). It worries her though, and she looks around for a mother or a nurse, but she only locates a huge man on a bench. The big
"She must do something, stop them, call for help. She wanted to put her hand on her husband's sleeve, to pull him down, but for some reason she didn't" (P2L36)
Through time there has been a large revolution of the gender roles. Women are no longer depending on an economically or physically support from a man, to make a living. Women do no longer need a big and muscular man to take care of them, but does this necessarily mean that they do not want one?
In the short story “Sunday in the park” by Bel Kaufmann the issues of standing up for your own rights and choosing between the “caveman” and the modern man are raised. In the following analysis I will mainly focus on the characters and the theme, to create a better understanding and view of the conflict in the short story.
The narrator of the story is a third person narrator, and is referred to as “she”. In the beginning of the text, she describes an exquisite and pleasant situation, where her family is gathered on a playground. Her son is playing in the sandbox with another boy, and she and her husband is sitting on a bench, watching.
"How good this is, she thought, and almost smiled at her sense of well-being." (P1L9) She describes an enjoyable scene, in which she feels comfortable. Also “She squeezed his (Morton’s) arm affectionately and glanced at Larry, delighting in the pointed little face frowning in concentration…” (P1L12) This quote shows that she is fond of her husband, and wants to show him affection. She truly seems to appreciate the sophisticated qualities of Morton. Their son has the same characteristics as his father, which is an obvious delight to her. The conflict begins when the other boy in the sandbox throws sand at Larry. She tries not to interfere too much because "She always said that she wanted Larry to learn to fight his own battles." (P2L4). It worries her though, and she looks around for a mother or a nurse, but she only locates a huge man on a bench. The big