When first read, Bel Kaufman’s "Sunday in the Park" seems to be a story about two families in a public park; one family is good and likes to avoid conflict, and the other is a more hostile family consisting of a father and a son, who both seem to be bullies. There are clues in the story, however, that can lead readers to change their opinion about which family is bad or good. Although I was unsuccessful in finding any critical articles to support my thesis about "Sunday in the Park," I believe that there is enough evidence in the story to suggest that my interpretation of the story is a valid one.

In the beginning of the story, the author gives the reader images of the two families that demonstrate the level of goodness in each family. In the first paragraph, Morton, the father of the "good" family, is described as, "reading the Times Magazine section, one arm flung around her [the mother’s] shoulder" (965). Also, the mother’s attitude toward the day is seen when she thinks to herself, "How good this is" (965). Morton and the mother happily watch their son, Larry, play in the sandbox in the park. All these images suggest a happy family that has a good life. Even the thought by the mother expresses the goodness that she feels toward her family and life, in general.

On the other hand, the author explains the "bad" family, Joe and his father, with the use of images that demonstrate "the bully" in each of them. Kaufman introduces Joe by writing, "The other boy suddenly stood up and with a quick, deliberate swing of his chubby arm threw a spadeful of sand at Larry" (965). The speaker describes the father of the child by saying, "He did not look up from his comics, but spat once deftly out of the corner of his mouth" (966). These images of Joe throwing sand, and the father not caring make the reader think that this is a disrespectful and heartless family.

However, an analysis of the story carefully, shows that there are clues in the story that reveal that Larry’s family is not as good as the reader imagines. The reader also finds that the mother of Larry’s family actually wants a husband and a son who share some of the "bully" qualities that Joe’s family has.

When Joe throws the sand at Larry and Larry’s mother says something to Joe about it, his dad chimes in and says, "You go right ahead Joe. Throw all you want. This here is a public sandbox" (966). Although it may seem inconsiderate for Joe’s father to respond this way, what he says is true. It is a public park and a public sandbox. Also, when one thinks about it, kids will be kids, and throwing sand is something a kid would do. Depending on how this situation is looked upon, either family could be justified as right or wrong.

Larry’s mother is a very important character in this story because she gives many clues that can prove that she is just as bad as Joe’s family. The first example of this is when Joe throws sand at Larry for the second time. The narrator describes the mother’s thoughts by writing, "she always said that she wanted Larry to learn to fight his own battles" (966). This statement implies that the mother wants Larry to fight back instead of letting himself get bullied by Joe. A "good" mother would tell her child to walk away from a situation such as this, just as Morton walks away from Joe’s father. The story also gives another clue about the mother. It reads, "Always before she had felt a tender pity for his [Larry’s] defenseless little body...but now her mouth tightened in resentment" (967). The mother is beginning to realize that she has a defenseless child and it bothers her as seen in the next line when she exclaims, "Stop crying. I’m ashamed of you" (967)! The mother wishes that her son could stand up for himself like Joe and his father.

The story also sheds light on a shadier side of Morton. After Morton and Larry’s mother drag Larry from the sandbox, Larry cries non-stop. Eventually Morton snaps, "If you can’t discipline this child, I will" (967). This line suggests that Morton is not afraid to discipline a child, but is too chicken to fight someone his own age. The story also says that Morton starts "making a move towards the boy" (967). This suggests that Morton is planning to hit Larry for crying. Only an abusive parent would hit a child for crying.

Although Joe’s family seems to be the "bad" family in the story, the evidence can suggest the opposite. Joe and his father are enjoying a beautiful day at the park just as Larry’s family is. From Joe’s father’s perspective, his kid can throw sand in a public sandbox unless he says not to. The reader knows that the throwing of the sand is deliberate, but Joe could have thrown the sand just for the simple purpose of getting Larry’s attention so he could have someone to play with. There are clues to suggest that Larry’s mother, in a way, envies Joe and his father because they can stick up for themselves. She is ashamed of her husband and son because they don’t "fight their own battles." The suggestion that Morton is abusive toward the boy also helps the reader to see that Larry’s family is just as bad, if not worse, than Joe’s family.

Works Cited