As for the plot of this story, “A Day of Waiting” by Ernest Hemingway, and to have a general understanding, it is about a nine-year-old boy named Schatz, his father and his doctor. Schatz thought he was going to die when the doctor told his father that he had a fever of 102 degrees.
The story took place before 9:00 a.m. one morning, when Schatz entered his father’s room looking ill, and after 11:00 a.m., when his father returned from hunting to find him uncooperative. The season is fall or winter due to frozen ice on the ground. The story took place at Schatz’s residence, and by all indications, he appeared to be in a country other than France. The contemporary time seemed evident from the story based on various references.
Schatz being diagnosed with a temperature of 102 degrees began the critical phase. His knowledge of the differences in the reading of the thermometers ended the critical stage. The story ended when he realized that he was not going to die from the high temperature. He returned to a calm state from then on and cried over every little unimportant thing.
The structure of the story showed a very complicated process. The structural complication began when Schatz entered his father’s room and moved slowly as if he were in pain and appeared to be ill. The conflict occurred when his father touched his forehead and determined that Schatz had a fever.
The crisis began when the doctor diagnosed Schatz with a 102-degree fever, treated him for the flu and prescribed medication. Schatz had the impression that he would die because of a belief he experienced in France when boys there told him that temperatures above forty-four degrees caused death. The end of the crisis came when his father told him about the differences in the reading of a thermometer. The climax came when he realized that he was not going to die. The resolution period occurred when he relaxed after realizing that he was not going to die, and cried over everything of little or no importance.
Schatz’s characterization is that of a protagonist of the story. He displayed both positive and negative characteristics. He is a very determined nine year old boy with a determined mind. He displayed a strong will and didn’t seem to be easily shaken from his position. He has a good memory when he remembers what the children who attended school in France had told him about people who die from a temperature above forty-four degrees.
Schatz could also be classified as an antagonist in this story. He fought to keep from overcoming his illness. He seemed to be his own worst enemy. He believed everything he heard, especially the story about the boys in France. He seemed to be a snotty brat who didn’t listen to his father and scolded his helpers at home in his father’s absence. He acted disobediently and shunned those who tried to help him.
The main drivers of this story are Schatz’s father, who finally calmed him down, and the doctor who had diagnosed Schatz with influenza, a temperature above 102 degrees, and treated him with medication. The background people in this story are the schoolchildren from France who planted the idea of death in Schatz’s mind. The people in his residence who tried to help him and whom he refused to let into the room after his father went hunting with her Irish setter are also movers. Howard Pyle’s reading of The Book of Pirates and the unknown third party in the room with Schatz’s father (alleged father) when he first entered looking ill also moved the story.
The sidekicks in this story are the people Schatz refused to let into his room after his father went hunting with his Irish setter. These individuals are likely servants who carried out Schatz’s orders.
Theme-wise, this story has several of them as follows. The first theme is “Don’t believe what you hear”. In this story, Schatz believed what he had heard from the boys in France about a person dying when the temperature rises above forty-five degrees. He didn’t check the facts, and as a result, he believed that he would die because his temperature is 102 degrees. The second theme is “Don’t give up so easily”. Schatz refused to fight his disease to the end. He gave up and is waiting for death due to his belief about the higher temperature. The third is: “After the storm there must be a calm.” We see Schatz reaching a calm state after realizing that he is not going to die. His calm state of mind is the result of temperature differences that his father explained to him after learning what children in France told his son about temperatures above 45 degrees that they cause death.
The resolution came when Schatz returned to normal and accepted his father’s opinion and explanation of the temperature difference and the thermostat. He became friends with everyone again and his life returned to normal. This is really an interesting short story by Ernest Hemingway, which explained all the corresponding elements quite clearly.
