Reunion

“The last time I saw my father was in Grand Central Station.”

This first sentence reveals that an older Charlie is narrating this event, reflecting on what has already happened. Additionally, because this is the last time Charlie sees his dad, this statement foreshadows that all may not end well and makes the title, “Reunion,” ironic, for this event will push father and son apart, not together.

“His secretary wrote to say that he would meet me at the information booth at noon.”

After Charlie requests a meeting, the reply comes not from his father but from the man’s secretary, suggesting he is too busy to write to his own son. This is the first hint at the father’s selfish character and an indication that his father is not an effective communicator.

“He was a stranger to me—my mother divorced him three years ago and I hadn’t been with him since—but as soon as I saw him I felt that he was my father, my flesh and blood, my future and my doom. I knew that when I was grown I would be something like him; I would have to plan my campaigns within his limitations.”

These lines emphasize the irony in the title, for a reunion is usually a connection with someone close, yet his father is a “stranger.” Furthermore, although Charlie is excited to see his dad and yearns for a connection, the ominous tone foreshadows his father’s flaws. These flaws seem to have slipped Charlie’s mind in his excitement to see his dad, which suggests Charlie has a muddied view of his father given the distance they’ve experienced. When Charlie notes that he will be like his dad, he acknowledges that this involves his “doom” and that his future will be molded around his father’s “limitations.