Theme of John Cheever's "Reunion" Summary

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The Theme of John Cheever's "Reunion"
"Reunion" is John Cheever's short story that primarily discusses parenting. It talks about a reunion between Charlie, the narrator, and his father. His parents divorced three years ago, and Charlie had not had a chance to interact with his father; hence he was eager to meet him again. The meeting between Charlie and his father describes the story's central theme; that not all parents are the best role models for their children. Charlie gets a different picture from what he expected of a father who had not seen his son for years.
Charlie meets a different character of his father from what he has been longing for for three years. When he saw his father coming to him through the crowd, Charlie was excited. His father was a stranger to him, but Charlie says, "I felt that he was my father, my flesh and blood, my future and my doom" (15). This line from Charlie shows an outstanding level of acceptance that he did not find its worth in the end. Every child often looks for a role model in the personality of their parents. For this reason, Charlie expected his father to be the force behind his pride. Things soon turned disappointing.
Charlie's father does not portray any qualities of a good role model and parenting to his son. Kindness, respect, love, and responsible are among the qualities of a sound role model, qualities that Charlie's father does not exhibit. First, Charlie's father does not show any care for his son. It is their first meeting after years, but the story does not mention any section where he asks Charlie about his progress. This is a disappointment since Charlie expec...