"A Day's Wait" Summary

A little boy who lives with the narrator comes down with a fever. He says the boy's temperature is 102 degrees. The narrator tries to take care of the boy, but the boy is very depressed and scared. The boy confesses that he knows he will die because 44 degrees is fatal. The narrator explains the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales.

"A Day's Wait" Analysis

The father and son do not understand each other. The father knows that the boy will be ok, but he does not communicate this to his son. Where the father sees a passing illness, the boy thinks he is facing death. The temperature symbolizes the secret knowledge of the father than he does not think to teach to his son. The son only learns this secret knowledge through trial and error, while...