1. Story Summary Notes: Reunion
The short story "Reunion" by John Cheever is about a young boy named Charles who goes to visit his father in New York City. The story revolves around Charles's impression of his father and the harsh reality of his father being an alcoholic. The story starts off with Charles on a train going to New York City to meet with his father. His initial reaction upon seeing him is one of joy and happiness as he is finally reunited with the father he had not seen for 3 years and the hopes he can rekindle the lost father-son relationship. The father explains that he wants to take Charles to his bar but since it so far away, he thinks its better that they just go to a close place. As they go from one bar after another, his father becomes more loud and obnoxious, which forces Charles to change his whole view of his father. In one of the bars, the owners actually kicked out Charles and his father after his father began yelling at the waiter. Finally as Charles is about to leave, his father volunteers to but Charles a newspaper to read on the train. He begins to yell at the newspaper salesman which forces Charles to come to the realization that his father is really not what he had pictured in his head. He walks to the train and never sees his father ever again. In the end I think Charles finally realized that the man he once knew and the innocent picture he had of his father was nothing more than an illusion. .
I think the main message of this story is Charles's innocence versus the harsh reality of his father's alcoholism. His father seems to be trying so hard to impress his son that he ends up alienating him from his life. It is also interesting to point out that his father would rather drag his son to a bar rather than spend quality time with Charles. At one point in the story, Charles's father even tries to buy his underage son a drink which shows his father clearly has no sense of morals. It is this lack of respect and bouts with alcoholism that bring Charles to the harsh reality that his father is nothing more than a man with a troubled past which Charles wants nothing to do with.
If you have ever been to a family reunion you probably know it can educe some of the most awkward moments in your life. ... All this is what a family reunion so great. ... So basically for these people the family reunion is just like another day with the old folk. ... The reunion is basically only tolerable because of the children. As you can see a family reunion is not the greatest thing in the world nor even close being a good thing at all. ...
Pulling up to the long dirt drive I slowly remove my headphones. I have waited this long to do so to avoid my mother's lecture on how to behave. Apparently I took them off a little soon because her mouth begins to shoot out reprimands at amazingly fast speeds. I glance at my brother, and lucky him, ...
Family Reunion to Remember A family reunion is considered to be a joyful time of reminiscing and remembering the good times. However in our family nothing is pleasant or joyful about our family reunions. Every summer we have the Posey family reunion and each year it rotates between Alabama, Illinois, Florida, and Kentucky. The year I remember the most was the reunion in Illinois. ...
After reading "The Last Game" by Jan Wiener and "The Reunion" by John Cheever, there are many similarities as well as many differences in both stories. ... In "The Reunion", the son sees his father for the first time in three years after Charlie's father and mother divorced. ... The father in "The Reunion" is not really paying attention to his son, his is more worried about his Beefeater Gibson. ...
This brings us to a scenario of a family reunion. A family reunion involves the people you specifically have a special connection with. It is not necessary to be blood related to every single person that shows up to the family reunion. ... The primary people that are included in the family reunion are your parents. ... No random stranger of the same race will be invited to the family reunion just because he is part of your racial group. ...
At that point, there is only one step for Gatsby to go to the reunion that he has dreamt for so many years. ... But, after all, the moment of the reunion is what he has been craves for five years. ... He is so nervous as to the coming reunion. ... There is no outpouring of the genuine affection during their reunion, but abundant compliments of Gatsby's house that shines brightly after the rain. The dullness of their reunion mounts to...
