Analysis of John Cheever's short story 'Reunion'

Reunion is a short story written by John Cheever, it was published in 1962, and later included in The stories of John Cheever.

He was son of a failed salesman and became an alcoholic together with his brother, but he chose to write instead of drinking and he became one of the greatest writers in the US. Writing mostly about the middle and the upper-middle class from Manhattan.

Cheever writes the story from Charlie’s point of view. Charlie talks about “the last time I saw my dad” etc. he is thinking back to that time. The story is therefor told as if it was a flashback.

Charlie is going to a 90 minutes meeting in New York with his father.Charlie hopes to reconnect with his father because he hasn’t seen him in three years because of his mother and fathers divorce. When his father comes to meet him they decide to go and drink a cocktail on a bar. In the bar his father ordered, but is very rude and the waiter asks them to leave. At the next bar it all repeats itself, they leave again. It happens to them one more time before Charlie has to leave. His father begins to apologize, but while trying to buy Charlie a paper he fails once again. Charlie ends up leaving disappointed.