Analysis of 'The Reunion' short story

The story takes place in the 1960’s, where we meet a 17-year-old boy named Charlie who has not seen his dad in three years and misses him dearly. In the story he recounts the meeting of the last time he saw his dad. The story takes places in New York one afternoon, where Charlie is waiting to meet his father in the booth his father’s secretary specified. When his father arrives, they decide to go to lunch. In the restaurant, the father tries to order, but him doing this was considered rude, and they are afterwards asked to leave. At the next restaurant his father isn’t quite as boisterous, but once again they were asked to leave. This happens to them two more times before Charlie finally must leave. His father then begins to apologize, but while trying to buy Charlie a paper he fails once again. Charlie afterwards then leaves; he did see his father but, in the end, he learned that getting things you have longed for is often quite disappointing.

Characterization

Charlie:

Charlie is a 17-year-old boy, we don’t get a description of how he looks but Charlie had anticipated for a long time to finally see his dad after his parents finalized their divorce. It’s never really revealed why his parents divorced. But despite the divorce, Charlie still has a connection to his dad, in his own words “his flesh and blood”.