Reunion - Fame or Family

1417 Words6 Pages
Fame or Family Although Reunion is a short story, it deals with some of the most important matters of life such as the need for love and affection and the relationship between father and son. In the story, the son’s needs for these things are not paid proper attention. The following aspects of the story will be examined in this analysis and interpretation: Title, setting, narration/point of view, characterization of characters, theme, message, and inclusion of other texts. The story takes place in New York and starts in Grand Central Station. The son’s parents have been divorced for three years and the son (Charlie) has not met his father since the divorce. The father says that he would like to take Charlie up to his club but it is not possible with the time available - according to the father. They start off to find something to eat but end up not getting anything in their stomachs except something to drink, because of the father’s bad behavior and preferences, which make it impossible to find a suitable place to eat. After leaving the fourth restaurant, the father apologizes and tries to buy a paper for him but, once again, due to his manners he is not allowed to buy anything. Charlie then gets on the train and never sees his father again. The title of the story is Reunion, which is very fitting for the story. Although it gives a hint as to what the story is going to be about, the hint is too subtle to reveal the plot and keeps us wondering about how this reunion is going to be. As mentioned before, the reunion takes place in New York, in Grand Central Station and four different restaurants to be precise. The first restaurant is empty because it is so early (page 1, line 20-21). The waiters of the third restaurant wear pink jackets and the walls of the restaurant are clad with horse tack (page 2, line 48-49). Not much is said about the last restaurant
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