reunion short story essay

A Summary and Analysis of John Cheever’s ‘Reunion’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Reunion’ is a 1962 short story by the American writer John Cheever (1912-82). In the story, a young man meets up for a reunion with his father, but his father’s rude manner leads to their reunion being a failure.

‘Reunion’, like much of John Cheever’s short fiction, seems straightforward and can easily be comprehended, but there are some interesting ambiguities in the narrative which are worthy of closer analysis. First, though, here’s a brief summary of the story’s plot.

Plot summary

The story is narrated by Charlie, a young man who is meeting up with his father for a reunion. The narrator is of indeterminate age but probably a teenager, based on the fact that he is suspected of being too young to drink alcohol.

The narrator wrote to his father, telling him that he would have an hour-and-a-half in New York while he was waiting for a connecting train, and so the two of them arranged to meet up for lunch together. Charlie’s mother had divorced his father three years earlier, and when he sees his father coming towards him at Grand Central Station, he hardly recognises him at first, although as he comes closer he sees in his father a glimpse of his future self.

They go to a series of restaurants, where the father attempts to order drinks – two cocktails, Beefeater Gibsons (gin martinis) – for him and his son. However, at the first restaurant, the rude way Charlie’s father claps his hands at the elderly waiter gets them thrown out. At the second restaurant, they manage to order two drinks and the father talks about baseball with (or at) his son, but when he tries to order another round of drinks, the waiter begins to suspect Charlie of being underage and they leave.

At the third, the father adopts quintessentially English mannerisms, and then proceeds to take umbrage at the way the waiter seeks to correct him about which country he is in, so Charlie’s father insists they leave and find somewhere else. And in the fourth restaurant, an Italian establishment, Charlie’s father tries to order drinks in Italian, only for the waiter to tell him that he cannot understand Italian. So they leave.

They return to the railway station, having been unsuccessful at ordering their lunch, and when the father tries to buy a magazine from the vendor at the newsstand, he does it in a rude manner which annoys the vendor. Charlie leaves his father there, and informs us that this was the last time he saw him.

Although it is easy enough to summarise the plot of ‘Reunion’, interpreting or analysing the significance of what happens is a more challenging task. Cheever’s narrative raises some difficult questions. How does Charlie actually feel about his father? Why does he seem reluctant to tell us this? Why does he not confront his father over his behaviour which gets them removed from a succession of restaurants when they have so little time for their reunion as it is?

When we look more closely at the remarks Charlie makes in his first-person narrative, further questions arise. Why, when he sees his father coming towards him in Grand Central Station, does Charlie describe him as ‘my future and my doom’? Is this just the sort of thing children say about their parents as they grow up and realise they will turn into them eventually when they get to their age? Or, given the troubling behaviour we will later witness, does it mean something more specific in Charlie’s case?

Note also how ‘Reunion’ begins and ends with Charlie telling us that the reunion in New York which is the subject of the story was ‘the last time’ he saw his father. Indeed, observe that Cheever deliberately uses the exact same seven words at the very beginning and the very end of the story: ‘the last time I saw my father’. But even this phrase is ambiguous: does he mean ‘the last time’ until the next time ? Or does he mean the ‘last’ time as in the very last time, since he plans never to see him again and arrange another reunion?

Charlie’s mother had divorced his father three years earlier: itself a telling detail (had she finally had enough of his boorish behaviour, one wonders? Note how she divorced him; there is no mention of its being a mutually instigated decision). Now it will be up to Charlie to organise any further ‘reunion’ with his father.

The fact that he has only made a small window of time to see his father – and then, only because he has some time to kill between trains – suggests that the invitation to meet up was instigated more out of filial duty, perhaps even pity, than any genuine desire to spend time with his father. However, he tells us he was actually ‘terribly happy’ to see his father again. But is this merely what he is telling us, and himself? Is it the sort of thing we have to tell ourselves when being reunited with close family members to whom we owe so much?

Observe, in this connection, that Charlie is on his way between two other family visits: his grandmother’s home in the Adirondack Mountains and his mother’s rented cottage on the Cape (i.e., Cape Cod , in Massachusetts). This opening detail is itself suggestive that the female members of the family are more in tune with Charlie’s own personality than his father is, although there’s also a hint that if he morphs into his father, he will find himself cut off from them, as his father has been.

But what are the ‘limitations’ in which the future Charlie will have to plan his ‘campaigns’? Are they merely genetic – the apple never falling far from the tree, as the old parent-child proverb has it – or are they culturally conditioned, the result of the overbearing influence of his father on Charlie’s formation in those early years?

Again, we cannot answer these questions definitively, because ‘Reunion’ proceeds by hints and suggestions rather than firm details. But the fact that Charlie immediately smells whiskey on his father – it is the first thing he mentions among that rich cocktail of aromas – implies that alcoholism is a problem for his father (something borne out by his father’s boorish behaviour and his spoonerism involving the name of the ‘Bibson Geefeaters’ he tries to order) and that Charlie expects it will become a problem for him, too.

At the same time, however, we should also wonder at the motivation of Charlie’s father, whom we see only through his son’s (largely uncritical) eyes. He knows time is tight – this is why he suggests going to a local restaurant, when his first choice would have been a club he frequents – and this may be one reason why he sharply tries to get the attention of the old waiter (who, we should add, seems very eager to turn down the father’s custom).

This may also explain why he apologises to Charlie as they walk back to the station together, and expresses regret that there wasn’t time for them to go up to his club. There is a sense that he feels the pressure to act as a good host for his son, who is his guest in the city, and he feels (with some justification, we feel) let down by the poor standard of service in the restaurants they visit.

One explanation is that the father is already considerably drunk and the waiter senses that the man has had enough (but Charlie either does not notice this, or chooses not to draw attention to this fact), but even so, the abruptness of the waiter to accept the business of a wealthy customer willing to spend money (in what is, we should note, a restaurant not exactly heaving with patrons) strikes us as slightly odd and suspicious. And it’s worth observing, too, that the father tones down his boisterousness in the second restaurant, and they only leave when the waiter believes Charlie to be too young to be served alcohol.

In the last analysis, ‘Reunion’ is a quintessential John Cheever story in terms of its spare and straightforward style which masks ambiguous undercurrents – undercurrents worthy of analysis and discussion, even if (or perhaps, precisely because ) the text itself does not provide definite answers for us.

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Summaries, Analysis & Lists

“Reunion” by John Cheever: Analysis, Theme & Summary of Short Story

“Reunion” is a short story by John Cheever , first published in 1962. It’s the story of a boy who spends a lunchtime layover in New York near Grand Central Station with his father, whom he hasn’t seen in three years. It’s a frequently anthologized story, and one of Cheever’s shortest. This “Reunion” analysis starts with a summary then looks at themes and some questions.

“Reunion” Summary

The narrator, Charlie, recounts the events of the last time he saw his father. He wrote to his father, telling him he would be in New York for an hour and a half between trains.

His father arrives at Grand Central Station at noon. Charlie hadn’t seen his father in three years but he feels a connection to him. His father is big and good-looking. They go somewhere close for lunch because his father’s club is too far away.

They go to an empty restaurant with a very old waiter. When they sit down, his father boisterously calls the waiter and claps his hands.

The waiter objects to being clapped at. His father insultingly remarks on the waiter’s age and competence. He’s asked to leave.

Charlie and his father go to another restaurant. His father isn’t as boisterous. They have drinks and make small talk. After his drink, his father loudly asks for another. The waiter asks how old Charlie is. His father answers rudely. They leave the restaurant.

They go to another place. His father is loud and rude immediately. After a short argument with the waiter, they leave.

They enter an Italian restaurant. Charlie’s father orders in Italian. The waiter doesn’t speak Italian, but Charlie’s father doesn’t believe him. The captain comes over and asks them to leave.

Charlie has to go back to catch his train. His father apologizes. He wants to get Charlie a paper to read on his trip.

At the newsstand, his father rudely asks for a paper. The clerk ignores him. Charlie has to go. His father wants him to wait a minute so he can get a reaction from the clerk.

Charlie says goodbye and leaves.

(End of “Reunion” summary)

“Reunion” Theme Analysis: Coming of Age

Charlie’s lunchtime reunion with his father was a significant episode for him—he hadn’t seen him in three years and never saw him again.

Charlie felt a strong connection to his father. As soon as he saw him he felt that he “was my father, my flesh and blood, my future and my doom. I knew that when I was grown I would be something like him; I would have to plan my campaigns within his limitations.”

It seems Charlie was already aware of his father’s failings and was concerned about failing similarly.

In a sense, Charlie was reuniting with a part of himself. This was a chance for him to see in action some potential qualities of his own. He has to decide if he wants to move toward or away from these tendencies.

Charlie doesn’t reveal how he feels about his father’s behavior, so the reader is left to decide what he does. Charlie’s awareness of being something like his father and recognizing his limitations suggests he’s on guard against his father’s worst qualities.

The fact that Charlie never saw his father again also implies he distanced himself from his father’s influence.

It seems likely that this reunion gave Charlie a push in becoming the person he would be as an adult.

“Reunion” Theme Analysis: Communication

Communication has to be important in a story that shows us the first in-person interaction between a father and son in three years. However, this doesn’t mean the communication shown will be worth imitating.

There’s a red flag in the communication in this story in the opening paragraph. Charlie wrote to his father, but “His [father’s] secretary wrote to say that he would meet [Charlie] . . .” This impersonal response foreshadows the lack of meaningful communication throughout their lunch.

Charlie’s father’s interaction with the newsstand clerk sums up his motivation in speaking to people. He says, “I want to get a rise out of this chap.” This seems to be the only way he’s comfortable talking to people.

There was a flash of genuine communication right before this. Charlie’s father apologized and hugged him. This was all he was able to muster in an hour and a half. He immediately fell back into his familiar pattern.

His communication style is selfish and alienating.

“Reunion” Analysis Questions

1. why doesn’t charlie see his father again.

We can’t state this for certain, but there are a few possibilities:

• He chooses not to see him again due to his father’s behavior.
• His father refuses future contact, knowing he’s incapable of a proper relationship.
• His father dies, probably of an alcohol-related reason.

I think most readers lean toward the first reason. His father’s behavior was so unpleasant that it doesn’t seem like any good would come from associating with him. This reason would support a coming of age interpretation.

The second reason is also possible. We were shown that his father’s drinking was a serious problem. He could have recognized that he wasn’t in a position to be a father to Charlie due to his drinking. This reason seems less likely because the narrator wouldn’t have to take any action.

The third reason is also possible. Again, there’s no doubt his father’s drinking was a big problem. Although dying takes the responsibility away from Charlie, this reason still makes sense. Knowing his father’s drinking contributed to his bad behavior and death also supports a coming of age interpretation of Charlie’s experience.

2. What is the irony of the title?

Reunions are associated with positivity—lively conversation, fond reminiscing, and genuine concern for others.

Charlie’s reunion with his father didn’t live up to the reader’s expectations. The only connection between them was a slap on the back, a handshake, and a brief hug.

It felt more like an obligatory meet-up between two old acquaintances than a reunion between father and son.

3. Is there any symbolism?

One thing that stands out as a potential symbol is the train station. This is a temporary stopping point before a final decision is made to go somewhere specific. As such, it could represent a transition or a turning point.

Charlie’s lunchtime meeting with his father seems to have been a significant transitional experience. Throughout lunch, Charlie follows his father from restaurant to restaurant, allowing him to take the lead. At the end, at the newsstand, his father tells him to wait. Charlie says goodbye and goes into the station. He’s not following his father now. He’s less of a boy than he was earlier.

4. Why didn’t they go to Charlie’s father’s club for lunch?

Charlie’s father said his club was too far away, that it was “in the sixties”, referring to the street address. Grand Central Station is on forty-second street.

This could be an excuse. It’s possible he’s been kicked out of his club, judging by the way he interacts with restaurant staff.

They had time to go into four different restaurants. It seems reasonable that they could have made it to the club. Presumably, Charlie’s father didn’t walk to the station. He probably got a ride. As a successful businessman, it would likely have been easy for him to arrange a ride for them both.

I hope this “Reunion” analysis, look at themes and summary by John Cheever was helpful.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Father — The Story of a Father and Son’s First Meeting in Reunion, a Short Story by John Cheever

The Story of a Father and Son's First Meeting in Reunion, a Short Story by John Cheever

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Published: Oct 16, 2018

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Short Story Reviews

Reunion by John Cheever

In Reunion by John Cheever we have the theme of disappointment, connection, identity, separation, regret and alcoholism. Taken from his Collected Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a young man called Charlie and after reading the story the reader realises that Cheever may be exploring the theme of disappointment. Throughout the story Charlie at no stage gets the opportunity to talk to his father. Rather as they are going to each bar and restaurant his father is disrespectful to each of the employees he encounters. Though it is difficult to say for certain if Charlie’s father is already drunk when he meets him there are two signs which point to the fact that he might be drunk. The first sign is at the train station when Charlie tells the reader that he could smell whiskey off his father. Also in the final bar Charlie’s father mispronounces Beefeater Gibsons calling it Bibson Geefeaters. It is because of this and Charlie’s father’s continuous urge to drink throughout the story that the reader suspects that Charlie’s father may be drunk. Which may explain why he is rude to each waiter he encounters.

Cheever also appears to be exploring the theme of identity. Despite Charlie telling the reader that his father was ‘a stranger to me’ and that when he sees his father ‘he felt that he was my father, my flesh and blood, my future and my doom.’ There is a sense that Charlie never really gets to know his father or to understand him. All he sees is his father being rude and obnoxious to each waiter he encounters. It would appear that getting served alcohol is more important to Charlie’s father than actually meeting Charlie. At no stage in the story does Charlie communicate with his father. Rather all he is doing is relaying each occurrence or event as it happens to the reader. He never gets to know his father nor does the reader get to know too much about Charlie. If anything Charlie is no more than a spectator when it comes to his encounter and meeting with his father.

The theme of separation is also self-evident in the story. Charlie at the beginning of the story tells the reader ‘the last time I saw my father was in Grand Central Station.’ Prior to this meeting we are also aware that Charlie hadn’t seen his father in three years, since his parents divorced. The reader also senses that there is an element of excitement for Charlie when it comes to meeting his father. However by the end of the story it would appear that Charlie regrets having met his father. His father also rather than making any inquiries about how Charlie is doing in life attempts to impress him instead. This is noticeable by the father’s wish to go to his club, though it is too far away. Also in each restaurant and bar the father rather than using English speaks Italian and French when there is no need to do so. Again the reader suspecting he is doing so in order to impress Charlie. At all stages the focus remains on Charlie’s father with Charlie again being no more than an observer to his father’s actions.

There is also some symbolism in the story which may be important. Throughout the story Charlie’s father is drinking gin and by introducing alcohol into the story Cheever may be suggesting that rather than connecting people, who might sit down and have a drink together. In the case of Charlie’s father alcohol disconnects him from his son. His main focus in the story is getting alcohol rather than hearing about how Charlie is. At no stage do either Charlie or his father make a connection. It is also possible that Cheever is suggesting that a dependency on alcohol (which Charlie’s father appears to have) can result in an individual becoming selfish. Rather than focusing on another person, in this case Charlie, Charlie’s father is focused on getting more and more alcohol.

The ending of the story is also interesting as Cheever introduces the theme of separation for a second time. As Charlie’s father is trying to ‘get a rise’ out of the newspaper seller Charlie tells his father that he has to go. What is significant about Charlie leaving is that even though he has to catch his train there is also the possibility that he has witnessed more than he wants to when it comes to his father’s actions. It is possible and it would appear to be the case that the connection Charlie sought with his father is not forthcoming. His father through his own selfishness (or alcoholism) is unable to connect with his son, preferring instead to be rude to people possibly in order to boost his own self esteem or to show Charlie how powerful he is as an individual. That he does not need to be respectful to others. Though again Charlie’s father does show some of the traits that come with alcoholism. Being rude to people, focusing on self and ignoring others. Three things that Charlie’s father has done throughout the story.

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‘Reunion’ by John Cheever

‘The last time I saw my father was in Grand Central Station.’

This deft, brief beginning nevertheless hints at a very large but invisible parallel narrative hidden beneath the facts that Cheever chooses to disclose.

The story is simple enough. Charlie hasn’t seen his father for three years, since he divorced Charlie’s mother, and is now meeting him for a few hours in New York where his father has been staying. Throughout the meeting, as we watch both of them struggle to try and salvage what is clearly a very strained relationship, we get brief glimpses into their past. In the end, both Charlie and the reader are forced to undergo a painful realization, something that Charlie has perhaps subconsciously understood before the meeting – that he can never have the relationship he has always hoped to have with his father.

Charlie is an adult, yet at the start of the story his excitement about his impending meeting with his father has made him almost revert back to a child-like state of anticipation. ‘I was terribly happy to see him’, he says, the sentence revealing in its simplicity.

As the story goes on we realise that for Charlie this is more than just a meeting: it’s his hope of salvaging his strained relationship with his father. His father, on the other hand, appears pompous, rude and arrogant, clapping at the waiters and being boisterous and patronizing. He seems to want to show his ‘superior status’ by using words like garcon , sommelier , Kellner or cameriere , and by taking his son to ‘his club’, but instead he appears rather sad and pathetic, a father desperately trying but failing to impress his son. Cheever’s use of sparse language and stripped down prose is beautifully contrasted with the father’s boastful use of foreign words.

Similarly, his ‘ I’m sorry sonny … I’m terribly sorry’ towards the end is more than just a surface apology for Charlie’s father’s behavior on that day. It is a vocalization of the guilt he feels, confirmed by his attempt to buy Charlie a newspaper to read on the train. But he fails in this small consolation too. In spite of  the reader’s limited perspective from Charlie’s first person narration, Cheever skillfully paints the picture of a sad father who has failed, and an equally dejected, disillusioned son who has realised how futile his efforts to re-connect with his father are.

There is also a reversal in the character structure by the end of the narrative. Instead of using elaborate plot devices or merely telling his readers what has happened, Cheever shows this through the actions of his characters and the emotions brought about by these actions, without additional commentary. At the beginning of the story, Charlie is plainly the son, the pseudo-child, looking forward to meeting his adult father. The status quo of their relationship changes very slowly and by the end of the narrative it is Charlie who has become the adult, the sensible one who goes away from the meeting with only disappointment and sadness. Charlie’s father has clearly failed to make his son proud of him. He has become almost like a little child himself, desperately wanting approval and forgiveness.

The story follows a circular narrative arc, and the story ends at Grand Central Station where it began. This time, (unlike at the start, where the setting signifies hope and new beginnings), it has become a symbol for goodbyes. Cheever conveys Charlie’s mindset by having him say ‘Daddy’ in the last few lines, rather than the ‘Father’ that he uses to address him throughout the story, showing that he is desperately trying to hold onto his hopeless relationship with his father. He has begun to understand, though, that he must let it go. Cheever’s story is prose powerful in its simplicity.

 ‘That was the last time I saw my father.’

About Anushree Nande

Anushree Nande is a Mumbai-based writer, editor, proofreader with MA & BA Creative Writing degrees from Edge Hill University. She has published short stories and poems, and also writes about football, books, movies, TV for many websites, blogs and literary magazines. A first novel and micro-fiction collection are in progress.

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Reunion, John Cheever: Summary & Analysis

'Reunion' is a 1962 short story written by renowned American author John Cheever (1912-1982). While the narrative may initially seem straightforward, it contains intriguing ambiguities that warrant closer analysis. In this section, we will delve into the nuances of the story and examine its underlying themes and implications.

Plot Summary

The story is narrated by Charlie, a young man anticipating a reunion with his father. While the narrator's age remains unspecified, he is likely a teenager, given the suspicion that he is underage for alcohol consumption.

Prior to their meeting, the narrator writes to his father, informing him of his hour-and-a-half layover in New York while waiting for a connecting train. Consequently, they arrange to meet for lunch. It has been three years since Charlie's parents divorced, and upon spotting his father approaching him at Grand Central Station, Charlie initially struggles to recognize him. However, as his father draws nearer, he catches a glimpse of his own potential future self within him.

The father and son visit a series of restaurants during their reunion. The father repeatedly attempts to order drinks, specifically two Beefeater Gibsons (gin martinis) for himself and Charlie. However, their reunion takes an unfortunate turn. At the first restaurant, the father's rude behavior towards the elderly waiter leads to their expulsion. In the second restaurant, they successfully order drinks, and the father engages in a discussion about baseball, potentially with or at his son. However, when the father attempts to order another round of drinks, the waiter becomes suspicious of Charlie's age, prompting their departure.

In the third restaurant, the father adopts quintessentially English mannerisms but takes offense when the waiter attempts to correct him regarding the country they are in. Consequently, Charlie's father insists on leaving to find an alternative location. In the fourth restaurant, an Italian establishment, the father attempts to order drinks in Italian, only to be met with the waiter's admission of not understanding the language. Disheartened by their unsuccessful attempts at ordering lunch, they return to the railway station. When the father's rude interaction with a newsstand vendor annoys the vendor, Charlie decides to leave his father behind, marking it as the last time he saw him.

Analysis of 'Reunion' by John Cheever

'Reunion' by John Cheever is a deceptively straightforward story that raises thought-provoking questions about the complex dynamics between a father and son. Through the narrative, Cheever explores themes of identity, communication, and the lasting impact of familial relationships. Let us delve into a deeper analysis of the story to gain a better understanding of its nuances and implications.

The Unspoken Emotions and Ambiguities

One of the central aspects of 'Reunion' lies in the unspoken emotions and ambiguities that permeate the relationship between Charlie and his father. Charlie's true feelings towards his father remain unclear, as he seems reluctant to openly express his emotions or confront his father about his rude behavior. The story invites us to question why Charlie chooses not to address these issues during their brief reunion and whether his silence stems from a mix of pity, filial duty, or even deeper unresolved emotions.

Charlie's initial description of his father as 'my future and my doom' adds further layers of complexity. It prompts us to consider whether Charlie's perception of his father reflects a realization that he may eventually become like him or if it signifies something more specific and troubling about his father's character.

The Ambiguous Last Encounter

The story begins and ends with Charlie stating that the reunion in New York was 'the last time' he saw his father. This repetition of the phrase raises ambiguity: does 'the last time' imply until their next reunion, or does it signify a definitive farewell, indicating that Charlie intends to never see his father again?

The divorce between Charlie's parents, mentioned in the story, adds another layer of significance. The fact that Charlie's mother divorced his father, with no mention of a mutual decision, hints at the possibility that her decision was influenced by his father's boorish behavior. This detail suggests that Charlie is now responsible for initiating any future reunions, as the dynamics of their relationship have shifted.

The Influence of Environment and Identity

The story subtly explores the influence of environment and identity on Charlie's perception of himself. Charlie's visits to his grandmother's home and his mother's rented cottage on Cape Cod serve as bookends to the reunion with his father. These female-dominated spaces hint at a stronger alignment with Charlie's own personality, potentially implying that if he were to become like his father, he may find himself distanced from these important figures in his life.

The limitations within which Charlie plans his 'campaigns' suggest a blend of genetic and cultural conditioning. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as the saying goes, but the story raises the question of how much of Charlie's behavior and future actions are shaped by his father's overbearing influence during his formative years.

The Complex Motivations of the Father

While 'Reunion' is narrated from Charlie's perspective, we are left to ponder the motivations of his father. The father's actions and behavior are largely seen through Charlie's eyes, offering a somewhat uncritical view. It is important to consider that the father may be under pressure to be a good host for his son, leading to his sharp attempts to get the waiter's attention. His apologies and regrets about not having enough time to go to his club reflect a desire to provide a memorable experience for his son.

The abruptness of the waiter and his refusal to serve a wealthy customer in an almost empty restaurant raises suspicion. It is worth noting that the father's boisterousness is toned down in the second restaurant, and they leave only when the waiter suspects Charlie of being underage. These details invite us to consider the possible intoxication of the father and the waiter's intuition regarding his state.

The Art of Ambiguity

'Reunion' is a quintessential example of John Cheever's writing style, characterized by its spare and straightforward narrative that hides underlying ambiguities. The story raises intriguing questions without offering definitive answers, encouraging analysis and discussion among readers. Cheever's skill lies in his ability to create a rich and thought-provoking story through hints and suggestions rather than explicit details.

Through its exploration of unspoken emotions, ambiguous encounters, and complex familial dynamics, 'Reunion' invites readers to contemplate the intricacies of human relationships and the profound impact they can have on identity and self-perception.

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Reunion by john cheever short story.

“Reunion” is a short story by John Cheever, first published 1962 in The New Yorker. You can listen to it read by Richard Ford .

SETTING OF REUNION

As Richard Ford says, Grand Central Station is a place where anything could happen — any two people could meet.

The story is set in the 1950s or 60s, the heyday of ‘the perfect nuclear family’. It was a big deal back then not to have a father. Divorce was rare. Women were not financially supported. It is highly probable the boy was the only child in his class without a father at home. This would add to the pain of missing him.

COMPACT STORY FORM

“Reunion” is a compact short story of around 1000 words. Most of Cheever’s stories are much longer than this one. The reader deduces a lot:

• The father has probably been kicked out of ‘the club’ and couldn’t take his son there even if he wanted to.
• His terrible personality is the reason the narrator’s mother divorced him in the first place.
• The father is showing off to the son, probably more than he usually does, because of the limited time he has with his boy.
• He has a white collar job, and no doubt treats his co-workers and secretary in the same way. I’m imagining he works on Madison Avenue, in the Mad Men world.
• I imagine the father has some kind of personality disorder which gives him the ability to turn off empathy at will.

Cheever partly achieves compactness by:

• Telling rather than always showing. The first paragraph is an excellent example of that.
• Omitting the narrator’s reactions, focusing only on the father’s mesmerising horribleness. We only get the narrator’s reaction in the final sentence when it becomes clear he has decided not to see his father again (perhaps only later, after processing events).

WHAT HAPPENS IN “REUNION”

A son looks forward to seeing his father for the first time in three years, but when they meet he witnesses how his father treats others, and comes to the realisation that he is a terrible person.

STORY STRUCTURE OF “REUNION”

Shortcoming.

This story is an example of a viewpoint character as first person narrator. The main character of this story is the father. The narrator is the Every Boy, who looks up to his father. However, you could equally argue the ‘main character’ status is shared, because it’s the child who has the anagnorisis at the end. This is why the concept of ‘main character’ is problematic.

The shortcoming of the narrator is that he is a child. He can’t choose his father. By the father’s absence, the  narrator has been idolising an image of his father who was never real.

The shortcoming of the father is huge. He has no empathy for other people, does not respect rules, and is trying to get his son to join him in his assholery.

The narrator wants to enjoy some time with his father. As a child, he is automatically predisposed to giving him respect.

The father wants to show his son how to be a man. Perhaps because he senses he has limited time in which to do so, he goes over the top in his dick-waving oneupmanship, and is terrible to everyone he meets.

Father and son start off as allies and switch over to opponents at some point in the story.

The plan comes from the opponent — the father plans to take his son out to eat, and to impress him with his wit.

BIG STRUGGLE

Every encounter in this story is a minor big struggle. Unlike in, say, a classic mythical structure, these big struggles don’t escalate. I mean, the big struggles don’t get worse. Each person reacts in basically the same way — avoidantly. But it is the cumulation of behaviours which make it seem to the son, and to us, like the big struggle is getting worse and worse.

ANAGNORISIS

There is no exact point when the son realises his father is terrible — rather, it’s a cumulation of things. Perhaps he could’ve forgiven his father if he was rude once. But Cheever gives us more than enough incidents to make the father’s terrible behaviour a pattern.

It is revealed why the father behaves the way he does right at the end, when the father says, “I want to get a rise out of this chap.” He’s using these people as playthings.

NEW SITUATION

“Goodbye, Daddy,” I said, and I went down the stairs and got my train, and that was the last time I saw my father.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Another short story that would be appreciated by high school aged boys especially:

The Hoaxer by Walter Kirn.  “The Hoaxer”  is published in 12 Short Stories and Their Making , edited by Paul Mandelbaum. This book includes an interview with Walter Kirn about why he wrote this story.

Download a compare and contrast juxtaposing Cheever’s and Kirn’s short stories about father and son.

Richard Ford wrote a short story in homage to Cheever’s, also called Reunion . Read them side by side for a case study in how a favourite short story can inspire your own creation.

WRITE YOUR OWN

• What have you learnt about the adults in your life since you were a child?
• Was there a moment when your parent’s humanity became apparent to you?
• Are there members of your family and extended family who embarrass you? Why? Do you agree with the way your adults treat other people?
• Who are you most similar to in your family? Whose does your public behaviour most resemble? What about your behaviour in private, within the family?
• What, if anything, would you change about an important adult in your life?

CONTEMPORARY FICTION SET IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (2023)

On paper, things look fine. Sam Dennon recently inherited significant wealth from his uncle. As a respected architect, Sam spends his days thinking about the family needs and rich lives of his clients. But privately? Even his enduring love of amateur astronomy is on the wane. Sam has built a sustainable-architecture display home for himself but hasn’t yet moved into it, preferring to sleep in his cocoon of a campervan. Although they never announced it publicly, Sam’s wife and business partner ended their marriage years ago due to lack of intimacy, leaving Sam with the sense he is irreparably broken.

Now his beloved uncle has died. An intensifying fear manifests as health anxiety, with night terrors from a half-remembered early childhood event. To assuage the loneliness, Sam embarks on a Personal Happiness Project:

1. Get a pet dog

2. Find a friend. Just one. Not too intense.

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Essay: The Reunion, by John Cheever

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The ‘Reunion’ is a short story. It’s written by the great writer John Cheever and it was published in 1962 and is a part of his collection ‘The stories of John Cheever’. Cheever’s dad was a salesman, who failed and became an alcoholic, same was Cheever’s uncle. Instead of start drinking Cheever chose to see another way of life and started writing and he became one of the greatest writers in the 60’s. Most of his stories were about middle and upper class men from Manhatten. His short stories became some of the most iconic stories and were about a typical ‘New Yorker’ in the 50’s and 60’s. John Cheever died 1982 in New York. ‘Living with strangers’ was an essay written by Siri Hustvedt. He is an American writer, who writes Novels and essays. She has made several of books, where she collected all of her novels, essays and poems. ‘Living with strangers’ was published in 2002. Siri Hustvedt is still alive and today she’s 59 years old. The theme in ‘Reunion’ is mostly family issues, the bad behavior from educated people to less educated people and alcoholism. The ‘Reunion’ Is written in in the view of Charlie, who is the main character in the short story. He is talking about his last time, that he saw his dad ‘The last time I saw my dad’. That means it’s a story told as if it was a flashback, since he is thinking back in the time. We do not get any exact age of Charlie, but he describes himself as a boy. We know that he’s on a train ‘I was going from my grandmother ‘ I wrote my father that I would be in New York between trains for an hour and a half’. We also know, that his parents are divorced and they’ve been divorced for approximately three years and this was the first time he went to see his dad for three years. The short story is called ‘Reunion’ because of the reunion Charlie and his father is having. We know that the father is the upper-middle class, he is a well-educated man. You can see that on his behavior and that he has a secretary who writes to Charlie, when they discuss the arrangement. He’s the kind of man, that most ‘kids’ dreams about to be and same does Charlie. ‘I knew that when I was grown I would be something like him’. As most of his other stories, this one also take places in New York City. The father starts up by trying to impress Charlie. He takes him to the best restaurants in the town, but it doesn’t go very well. He doesn’t really know what and how to talk with his son. The father acts very disrespectful and is very rude to the waiters at the restaurants they’re visiting and that’s probably because of the alcohol ‘I smelled my father the way my mother sniffs a rose. It was a rich compound of whiskey and after-shave lotion’. That is a clear sign on alcoholism if you smell like whiskey. The way he acts annoys and disgust Charlie and he doesn’t want to see him anymore. The story ends where the reunion took place, at the station. Charlie decides that he never wants to see his father again. That is probably also where Charlies decides to start a new chapter of his life.

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Reunion by John Cheever Analysis

”Reunion” is a short story, written by John Cheever. John William Cheever was an American short story writer and novelist, who lived 70 years from May 27, 1912 to June 18, 1982. He is known worldwide as “the Chekhov of the suburbs” and for his many short stories and novels.1

The short story “Reunion”, which I want to analyse and interpret, was originally published in in 1962 in The New Yorker.2 The text is a short act with few persons, the environment is non-detailed and the story have one conflict, which all are characterising a traditional short story.

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The story is about a boy named Charlie, who is traveling from his grandmother’s in Adirondacks to a cottage on the Cape and is going to be between trains for an hour and a half in New York. He grabs the opportunity to visit his father, who he had not seen since his mother divorced him three years ago. As Charlie arrives to the Grand Central Station, he meets his missing father, and together they walked on to a nearby restaurant. Charlie was happy to finally see his father, and as they walked together, Charlie proudly wanted the whole world to see them. At the restaurant the father could not behave himself because of his dissatisfaction with the service, and they ended up leaving to eat at another restaurant. At the second restaurant they ordered a drink and where having a good time with each other, but the good time ended early, once again because of the fathers bad behaviour. This time he was unsatisfied with the waiter, who did not wanted to give Charlie another drink, because of his age. They went to another restaurant again, where the father also started arguing with the waiter. They walked into the fourth restaurant and the same happened. All the restaurant trouble had made the time pass, and Charlie had to catch his train without a successfully restaurant visit. The father wanted to give Charlie a paper to read in the train, and at their way back to the station, they stopped by a newsstand. The father began discussing with the man at the newsstand, and Charlie ended up saying goodbye to his father to leave the station on the train, unhappy, disappointed and without any food or paper.

The main characters in the story are Charlie and his father. Charlie is a boy, who wishes to have a father to look up to and be proud of, but got the complete opposite. Charlie is under 21, because he cannot be served alcoholic drinks in the restaurant. From what Charlie tells in the beginning, we know that the father is big and good-looking. I think of him as a stressed businessman with too many things going on at the same time and maybe a little abuse of alcohol. The reason to my thoughts is, that his wife divorced him, he have not had time to see his son since, his secretary is answering his messages and he cannot behave himself in the restaurants.

In the story there is a development between the father and Charlie. To begin with their relationship is good and they are both happy to see each other. But as the father’s behaviour is getting worse throughout the story, Charlie begins to realise, that he feels disappointed and unhappy about his father and his behaviour. This negative development is clearly shown at the end of the story, where Charlie ends up leaving his father with an empty feeling.

The text is easy to read and it is easy to understand the language. The narrator is Charlie, and he tells the story from his own point of view. The story also tells about Charlie’s thoughts and feelings, for example his excitement and happiness about seeing his father in the beginning. The writer is also using direct speeches between the father and the different waiters and Charlie to show and underpin the father’s bad behaviour.

The story takes place in New York, USA and the action takes place on the Grand Central Station, the 4 restaurants, the streets they are walking trough and the newsstand. The story is, like I said earlier, from 1962, but I think, that it is timeless, because it is a story, which could have happened today as well. I would even say, that the story fits 2013 better than 1962, because it is more normal and frequent to be divorced and have a busy and stressed life. There are some different themes appearing in the story. One of the themes is stress. It is clear, that the father is very stressed about something. It could be his failed marriage, his job or just his insecurity about not being a good enough father to Charlie.

That leads us to the next theme; bad parenting. Charlie has not seen his father since the divorce three years ago, and that is of course not good parenting by neither of the parents. It is of course the father’s problem, but the mother could maybe also have had a bad influence in the situation.

I think the two themes reminds a lot of each other. In this story stress leads to bad parenting. The father’s own life is stressed, and that is making his behaviour to other people bad. His bad behaviour to other people is making him a bad parent, because Charlie obviously does not like being with his father, when he acts in that way.

With these two themes, the main theme and the message of the story appears. I think, that John Cheever wants to remind people of the importance of treating other people in the same way, that you treat your nearest friends and family. Because in the story it is the father’s bad treatment of other people that courses his bad relationship to his own son. That leads to the message: no matter how busy and stressed you are, always remember to treat other people in the same way, that you will treat your own family, or else you will loose the ones you care about.

“Reunion” and “Living with strangers” have a lot of the same aspects. “Living with strangers” has a narrator, who describes the life in New York, where strangers does not care about you and are living their own stressed life. The narrator is from another culture, a smaller city, where it is normal to talk and care about other people, and she does not like the way the people of New York treats each other. The narrator’s situation is very similar to the narrator in “Reunion”, Charlie, who does not like his father’s behaviour.

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Essay about Reunion By John Cheever Analysis

Writers use specific qualities in their work in order to convey a theme, mood, or even contribute to the development of the characters, specific to the story. Successful authors are able to blend grotesque, pathos, and humor so that the story is cohesive as well as responsive. In the short story “Reunion” by John Cheever, these elements are used to construct a story about a young boy and the relationship between him and his distant father.

Although the story is short, Cheever incorporates humor, pathos, and grotesque into the dialogue and narration in order to uncover the reader’s emotions of frustration, pity, and comicality towards the protagonist and antagonist. In the story, specific quotations influence how the reader feels toward the characters and the plot. One may anticipate that everything would turn out smoothly, but in reality the “Reunion” between father and son is full of disappointment and is a reminder that some things never change.

From the beginning to end of the story the father is seen as a pretentious and unthoughtful individual. The father’s strong personality is immediately clear as the reader begins the story. The first examples of the fathers grotesque character, is in the first paragraph, when the narrator says, “His secretary wrote to say that he would meet me at the information booth at noon… ” This quote lets the reader know that the father isn’t devoted to having a meaningful relationship with his son, while allowing the reader to develop their first opinion about his behavior.

The father’s personality only grows stronger as the story continues. While Charlie is trying to enjoy this experience, his father causes even more problems by lashing out at the restaurant employees. On the bottom of page 1, the father yells at the waiter, “I should have brought my whistle… I have a whistle that is audible only to the ears of old waiters. ” This is one of the many quotes where the father is being very disrespectful and inconsiderate of others feelings.

Examples like these cause the reader to develop feelings of frustration towards the father, because they don’t understand the purpose of his actions. Because the father takes things to the extreme, some of his actions are almost found to be humorous. His outbursts are so unnecessary and ridiculous that one may find themselves laughing at his actions. This is Cheever’s intent; to make the reader laugh and feel guilty about it. Grotesque and pathos go hand in hand in the development of a story. One causes and has a major affect on the other.

In this case, the use of grotesque initially evokes the reader’s feelings of pity towards Charlie and his situation. As the story begins, Charlie, the protagonist describes his father in a delightful way: “He was a big, good-looking man, and I was terribly happy to see him again… I hoped someone would see us together. ” Charlie is overwhelmingly happy to see his father whom he hasn’t in 3 years. However, shortly after learning this, the reader is hit with a disappointing conclusion about the father’s personality.

Once the reader realizes why Charlie is not particularly close with his father, they can sympathize with the young boy about what he has to go through. Because Charlie was so excited to reunite with his dad, the fact that he was so let down, upsets the reader and only confirms their original assumption about the father. Another example of pathos that may not be so obvious is when the narrator says, “I followed my father out of that restaurant into another. ” This excerpt expresses that the son is trapped; trapped in a traumatic situation, where he has no power stand up to his father and speak his mind.

He is stuck following his father’s every action, hoping things will change. However they do not. The constant disappointment Charlie endures only causes the reader to develop even stronger sympathetic feelings towards Charlie as well as hatred towards his father. Cheever’s wise word choice also contributes to pathos because certain words spark a feeling within a reader. For example, at the bottom of the last page, the narrator switches from using “dad” to using “daddy” because it is a more powerful and meaningful word.

Charlie used the term “daddy” in order to remind his father that he is and will always be his son, while the author uses “daddy” as a final way to emotionally connect the character and the reader. Lastly, the use of first person point of view is another technique the author uses that results in a deeper relationship between reader and character. Charlie in this case is referring to himself as if he is telling the reader about his feelings. Rather than hearing the story from an outsider’s perspective, the reader can relate to the Charlie because they are only seeing the story from his frame of reference.

These are all examples of pathos and how the use of it contributes to feelings of pity toward one specific character. Cheever successfully used humor, pathos, and grotesque from beginning to end of the story to highlight the characters personalities as well as arouse the reader’s feelings towards the characters and plot. Use of these writing qualities express the writer’s overall purpose and meaning distinctly. “Reunions” are automatically linked to happy thoughts. However, this story demonstrates that families can be full of underlying problems.

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Expectation Versus Reality

In “Reunion,” the theme of expectation versus reality illustrates Charlie’s internal struggle and highlights his ultimate realization about his father. Despite not seeing his dad for three years, Charlie is excited and hopeful about their meeting, for he expects a typical reunion of joy and connection. However, as the narrative progresses, the reality sets in that his father provides discomfort and conflict, the opposite of what Charlie anticipated.

Initially, Charlie feels only excitement and adoration toward his father. Although the boy notes that “he was a stranger,” he also adds, “I had hoped that someone would see us together. I wished that we could be photographed. I wanted some record of our having been together” (518). Since photographs are taken to commemorate significant or joyful events, Charlie anticipates a great day connecting with his long-lost father. Additionally, he wants others to notice, which is typical in moments of pride or joy but not those of disappointment. At this point, Charlie is eager with the prospect of a happy reunion lunch with his father.

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