The narrator of John Cheever's “Reunion” tells of when the narrator reunited with his father only to be ultimately disappointed. At the beginning of the story, the narrator states that his father was estranged from him due to his parents' divorce. This brief explanation foreshadows to the reader the narrator's negative experience with his father, as there is a reason his parents were divorced in the first place. The narrator also mentions a "rich whiskey compound" (Cheever 338) when he catches the scent of his father when they meet. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout the story the narrator is not seen speaking to his father, not even a single word, but the narrator's silence says a lot about what he might be thinking as he and his father go pub crawling. The irony is that the narrator describes the joy of meeting his former father for the first time by saying, “I was hoping someone would see us together. I wish we could be photographed. I wanted some testimony of our having been together” (Cheever 338), but this joy turns to disappointment, shock, disbelief, and regret towards the end of the story when she sees who her father really is. The narrator begins by idolizing his father, knowing that he will somehow become like him in the future, continuing the legacy by saying, “I should plan my campaigns within his limitations” (Cheever 338). However, the narrator's impressions of his father turn in the opposite direction as the narrator observes his father's arrogant and disrespectful behavior towards the waiters while demanding fuel for his drinking habit. He realizes that he should have expected the unexpected. The father also distances himself from his son, focusing more on ordering his drink and taking him to the club rather than showing up, and catching up with his own blood. To the narrator, it seems that his father is not even aware that he is meeting his son, nor does it seem like there is anything special for him. This connects to the repetition that occurs with the word “dad” towards the end of the story. When the narrator says, “It's okay, Dad” (Cheever 339), when his father offers to take him to the train station, it means rejection and that the narrator wants nothing more to do with him. The second "daddy" is mentioned when the narrator tells his father, "I have to go daddy" (Cheever 340), it means a sign of letting go and separation, and at the end the narrator permanently ends his father-son relationship by saying " Goodbye Dad” (Cheever 340). father could be seen as a reflection of the author, John Cheever, who also suffered from alcoholism, and could accurately describe the behavior of an alcoholic and how such a habit creates gaps in relationships. the narrator learns to never have high expectations, for when we do not meet them we are unprepared to feel disappointment. The author believed that his father would present himself in a polite manner, as an image of the son's future self, a positive future. Someone the son can identify with, look up to and reach out to. However the son's imagination got the better of him and all he could do was leave everything as it was before reuniting with his father...