And
"Reunion"
Stories of Contrast
What is a father? A father is someone who is more than just a person who created you. A father is a person who should be a mentor to you and helps guide you through life. What isn't a father is one who simply puts their children aside to live their own lives and have no part in their children's life and growth. The stories I will be contrasting are "The Last Game," by Jan Weiner and "Reunion," by John Cheever. My first reason of contrast is that in "Last Game," the relationship between characters Jan Weiner and his father is that of mutual admiration in which the son had great respect for his, his pride and braveness of choice which is contrasted in "Reunion," as the son Charlie has feelings of disdain for his a father in that his father's actions were disappointing, disgraceful and selfish. My second reason of contrast is in "Last Game," Jan Weiner's father is dealing with political problems in that he lived in the time of the holocaust and was Jewish, consistently chased by Nazi's who forced him to make a tough decision on suicide as opposed to dying the Nazi way which is contrasted in "Reunion," where the father is dealing with psychological problems in that he is a drunk who's very obnoxious with an abusive mentality. My last reason of contrast of contrast is in "Last Game," there is a strong bond between Jan and his father where their sense of family was strong and they had a deep understanding for each other is contrasted in "Reunion," as there was a lack of a bond due to the father's arrogance and bad personality. I chose these three reasons because I believe they represent and answer the questions what is and isn't a father. In my life there was this man who tried to be my father but never succeeded and this man is my actual father but I do admire him for not giving up hope in being my father to this day even though I've all but given up on him. The first reason of contrast between the stories