Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American author of novels and short stories. Most of his stories are based on his own experiences during the First and Second World War. He was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Only revealing the tip of the iceberg and leaving the rest to the reader's imagination is one of the main characteristics when it comes to his writing style. "A Day’s Wait" takes place during the winter or the fall. There is ice on the ground, and it’s slippery. The boy and the father probably live on a farm or a ranch that is a bit isolated from everything else. If he lived in a highly populated compound he wouldn't have gone hunting right outside the house. It is possible to determine when this story takes place because of the doctor’s visit. Today we have to go to the doctor; the doctor doesn’t come to us. Due to this information we know that it took place sometime before the Second World War, as it became common to go to the doctor’s office in the fifties.
This story is about a young boy, Schatz, who has caught a minor fever. The doctor comes by and diagnoses him with influenza. Throughout the entire story we believe that this is some form for severe influenza, because the boy thinks he’s dying. The father can't wrap his head around what Schatz is talking about. However it all comes down to a mix-up between the Celsius and Fahrenheit scales, a simple misunderstanding. In spite of this being a misunderstanding the boy’s bravery and courage is displayed as he tells his father that he doesn't have to stay with him in his final hours.
There are three characters in this story, two major and one minor. Since this is a short story it is expected that there are just a handful of characters.
The father is the main character and also what we call the protagonist. The short story is written in his point of view. Not much is revealed about the father, but we know he cares very deeply for his son. H...