literary analysis paper Dec. 12, 2007

Shelby Eckenberg
Prof. Rosemarie Adams
Essay #6 Draft 1
December 12, 2007
Literary Analysis: Sunday in the Park

Sunday in the Park, by Bel Kaufman, begins with a family enjoying a peaceful day at the park. Kaufman paints a picture of the perfect little family having a lovely day just spending some down time together. All of a sudden the story takes an unexpected turn when a bully and his father ruin a seemingly perfect Sunday afternoon. When Morton, the father, handles the situation in a somewhat passive way, the mother of Larry, the little boy, realizes that she didn’t get the outcome she quite wanted. The elements of plot, theme, character and setting play important role in this story. The plot in this story is very important because it sets the reader up for some unexpected events that take place.

The plot begins with a description of the characters and some personality traits that come into play throughout the story. The suspense begins when the little bully throws sand at Larry and doesn’t listen when he is told by Larry’s mother, the protagonist, to stop. After being told again to not throw sand, the bully’s father steps in and gives him permission to continue throwing the sand. Knowing that Larry’s father is also at the scene, it makes the reader wonder what is going to happen next, if anything at all. The foreshadowing that led up to this is when Larry’s mother is scanning the park and notices the big man on the bench who just happens to be the boy’s father. Once the bully’s father, the antagonist, steps in the crisis in the story begins. As both of the boy’s fathers begin to stand up, we wonder if they are going to go toe to toe and fight it out right there in the park, this is the climax of the story. After Larry and his family decide to leave the park and the confrontation, little do we know that another one between Larry’s mother and father are about to begin.

The theme in the story does not really come out until the end when Larry and his family are walking home after the confrontation at the park. Larry’s mother is clearly upset at how Morton handled the situation and instead of saying something; she represses her feelings about the confrontation. I believe she wanted to feel protected by Morton and to see him be a good role model for Larry. This doesn’t mean she wanted Morton to beat up the bully’s father, however, I think she wanted to see some action taken other than leaving the park. Morton was put in a lose, lose situation and this is just a classic case of nice guys finish last.

The stock characters in the story include the bully and his father who both do and say things that you would typically see in a bully. I believe Larry’s father is a flat character because he maintains his sophisticated and level-headed thinking throughout the story. He is presented as an educated man and I feel that during the confrontation he acted with dignity and didn’t stoop to the bully’s father’s level. The mother is more of a round character. She starts out by being a protective yet not overly protective mother who is looking out for her little boy. Once the bully’s mess with her family she turns into a woman who not only wants to protect but at the same time wants to feel protected by her husband.

This particular setting plays an important role in the story because it paints a picture of what a perfect family outing looks like. Being outside in the warm weather with the man she loves and her child, the mother of the story seems to have it all. The way Kaufman describes the park and the time of day allows the readers to easily imagine the family in the park. This ideal day is soon ruined by a couple of misfits who seem to take pleasure in being bully’s. Once the confrontation occurs, you soon realize that there would be no good ending for Morton had he decided to act on his emotions. Not only did it state the bully’s father was a large man, but also the fact that they were in a public place could have meant trouble with police.

The plot of the story does a nice job of setting up the reader for suspense and the big climax. Once the confrontation ends, you are left with a feeling of disappointment and frustration towards Morton. Although Kaufman portrays Morton to be so sophisticated and above fighting, there is a little part of me that wanted him to forget himself and teach the bully’s father a lesson.

Word count: 796