The point is lost on Schatz and the father does not try and simplify further the point he is attempting to make. Something that is noticeable when the father uses miles and kilometres to describe the differences between Celsius and Fahrenheit. If anything throughout the story neither father or son appear to be listening to one another. However this point is not understood by his father. This shows tremendous courage as Schatz is thinking of somebody else and how his death may affect them. He also appears to have prepared himself by asking his father does he want to leave the room. Schatz really believes that he is going to die because his temperature is so high. However he never fully explains this to Schatz and it is possible that Schatz’s imagination is running wild. The one thing that the father can do for Schatz is to tell him that he only has a flu. However despite believing that he is going to die Schatz shows a lot of courage and bravery and tries to accept the position he finds himself in. It may not be possible for anybody to alleviate Schatz’s fears. Though in the interest of clarity it might also be important to remember that Schatz’s has himself at death’s door. Throughout the story the father’s words are not as comforting as one would expect a father’s words to be when it comes to a sick child. The fact that the father is also lying down at the start of the story may be important as Hemingway could be using this as a symbolic representation for paralysis or not moving.
Which may be important as by having Schatz cry Hemingway may be further highlighting Schatz’s fears when it comes to dying. However his father does not really have the ability to allay Schatz’s fears and to make matters worse Schatz isolates himself from the world around him. Schatz fears that he is going to die however he is basing his predication on misinformation (Celsius versus Fahrenheit).
Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed man (father) and after reading the story the reader realises that Hemingway may be exploring the theme of fear. In A Day’s Wait by Ernest Hemingway we have the theme of fear, courage, responsibility, isolation, confusion, acceptance and control.
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