ESSAY -SUNDAY IN THE PARK
By: Bel Kaufmann
Sunday in the Park is a short story written by Bel Kaufmann. When you first read it, you may get the impression that Larry’s family is calm and responsible without any spiteful intentions. They are in a sunny public park an afternoon just to enjoy their day off as you can see here “How good is this, she thought, and almost smiled at her sense of well-being. They must go out in the sun more often. (pg 97). While Joe and his dad are more hostile, who both seem to be bullies.
However you may get an ambiguous view if you read it more closely. Larry’s mother has a very important role. She keeps doing and thinking things that prove, she is just as bad as Joe and his father. A responsible mother should tell her child to stay out of trouble and walk away from an uncontrolled and uncomfortable situation. But when Larry gets sand in his hair, her thoughts are totally different, “Her first instinct was to rush to her son, brush the sand out of his hair, and punish the other child, but she controlled it. She always said that she wanted Larry to learn to fight his own battles.“ (line 3 page 98). This statement tells us, that she wants him to pull himself together so he want get bullied by Joe. She is almost waiting for him to get in trouble. Later she realizes, that he can not defend himself and she supports this by saying “”Stop crying” she said sharply “I’m ashamed of you.” She felt as if all three of them were tracking mud along the street.” (pg. 99 in the end). Not even does the mother wish that her son could stand up for himself like Joe and his father, but she is ashamed of herself too, because she has to walk away from the situation, so she keeps her head high. She is disappointed in Morton. If he always backs out of situations and keeps being shy Larry will never be able to follow a good example.
Morton reads Times Magazine section, a broadsheet for the more serious readers, while Joe’s dad is reading the comics, which...