In the short story, ôSunday in the Parkö, an idyllic day in the park becomes the setting for the age-old competition between the man of physical strength and the man of intellectual prowess, in other words, a face-off to see who will be the ôalpha-maleö. More than that, however, this story also points out the very basic and unspoken family expectations that occur in the midst of such contests.
The afternoon begins well. The woman, whoÆs name is never mentioned, is enjoying the sunshine as she sits by her bookish husband, Morton, and watches their son, Larry, playing in the sandbox (lines 10-12). She wants to be able to have this bit of rest and sunshine more often, to allow her husband more time outdoors, away from his academic profession (line 11). Her perfect afternoon is spoiled, however, when another little boy playing in the sandbox decides to pick on her son by throwing sand at him. Not only does the other little boy ignore her when she admonishes him, but his father apparently eggs him on by stating that itÆs a ôpublic sandboxö, implying that anyone may do as he or she pleases when in public (line 40). It is then that her husband steps in to somehow stand up for the right of his own child to play, unharassed, in the sandbox (line 58). In the end, however, Morton backs down to the more aggressive father and takes his wife and child back home, while his wife tries to explain away her disappointment to herself as he explains his actions to her.
Although the wife does not assert her expectations outright, she is very adept at expressing her assumptions and expectations subtly. Specifically, in this scenario, she appears to have four assumptions or expectations that she has of society and her husband. Her first assumption is that responsible and civilized adults will behave well in public and will discipline their children in public, as well. Second, she assumes that those who are normally caring for a chil...