Reunion by John Cheever

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Reunion, by John Cheever, is a story told through the eyes of a young boy, Charlie, who is recalling a meeting with his father who he hasn’t seen for more than three years. It is set in New York where Charlie’s father lives. He meets up with his father during a stop over between trains.

In the first paragraph we are introduced to Charlie and his father. Charlie is very much looking forward to meeting his father who he hasn’t seen since his parents divorced three years before. “He was a stranger to me”, shows that Charlie is anxious about his upcoming meeting with his father. But he then goes on to say “But as soon as I saw him I felt he was my father”. This then implies to the reader that Charlie is a little more relaxed when he sees his father. This sentence is so powerful because of its use of the word ‘father’. The strong connotations, which are related to this word, express the relationship between the two characters.

At this stage of the story we are compelled to feel a little bit sorry for Charlie who has been separated from his father.

Charlie’s father is also introduced in the first paragraph. He, who is never given a name during the story, forms the image in the reader’s mind of a high-flying businessman. Cheever relays this image with the use of formal language during the communications between Charlie and his father, “His secretary wrote to say that he would meet me at the information booth at noon”. This in contrast to the less formal style of writing used when Charlie is involved, “at 12 o’clock sharp I saw him coming”. That last quote also shows that his father is punctual which strengthens the businessman stereotype we have already placed him in.

Early on we are lead to believe that Charlie and his father are happy to see each other and have a good relationship with quotes such as, “I was terribly happy to see him again” and “ Hi Charlie, Hi boy!” But these attitudes towards father and son are short lived.

Towards the end of the first paragraph we begin to get more of an insight into what Charlie’s father is really like. The first example of this is “I’d like to take you up to my club, but it’s in the Sixties, and if you have to catch an early train I guess we’d better get something around here”.

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