A Day's Wait

Possibly the bravest nine-year-old boy ever written about, Schatz is selfless, courageous, and self-contained, and has immense mental fortitude. He exemplifies Heroic Fatalism in “A Day’s Wait.”

The only real physical descriptions of Schatz indicate that the boy is nine years old and is sick and miserable. The story implies that he has a multicultural background, as he was (or is) educated in France, has a German nickname, and is most likely living in the US during the story, given that few other places use the imperial measurement system. Schatz’s foreign education leads to his confusing Celsius and Fahrenheit measurements. Because of this confusion, he spends an entire day believing that he’s going to die. While one might expect a nine-year-old to cry or ask his parents what will happen to him, Schatz remains quiet, strong, and self-reliant. Strangely, this strength only prolongs his suffering.

Schatz is extremely selfless. He tries to be completely self-reliant. For example, rather than asking his father to close the windows in his room, he goes in to do it himself. Despite being ill and being told to go back to bed, Schatz gets dressed and goes downstairs by himself. Terrified that he’s going to die, he tells his father that he doesn’t have to stay if it bothers him. While Papa is gone, Schatz refuses to let anyone in his room to prevent them from contracting his illness. He goes an entire day without telling anyone of his fears and without asking for comfort. This is an excellent example of heroic fatalism. Schatz calmly accepts his fate and deals with his upcoming death with grace and dignity.

The problem, however, is that Schatz’s emotional turmoil is completely unnecessary. Had he simply told anyone about his concerns, he could have avoided an entire day of misery. Although this struggle is meant to highlight Schatz’s bravery despite his young age, his hesitance to “bother” his family, particularly over something as critical as his death, surprises modern readers.

Like his father, Schatz struggles with communication. His words carry a lot of unspoken meaning, which, unfortunately, neither his father nor the doctor pick up on. Schatz puts a lot of pressure on himself to act maturely. Papa points out as the narrator that the boy seemed troubled, as if he were “holding tight onto himself about something” (Line 80). However, when his burdens are lifted, he acts more his age and “crie[s] very easily at little things that [are] of no importance” (Line 105). This later weakness does nothing to dim the strength of this child and, if anything, only highlights his youth.

Although he appears only briefly in “A Day’s Wait,” the doctor’s role is pivotal to the story. First, he’s the first to indicate that Schatz is ill. While the narrative belies Papa’s suspicion that the boy is sick and that his forehead is warm, Schatz repeatedly says that he’s fine. The doctor is the first one who actually takes the boy’s temperature.

Second, all the misunderstandings start with the doctor. He tells Papa that Schatz’s temperature is 102, within Schatz’s hearing. However, the doctor then goes downstairs with Papa to discuss Schatz’s treatment and concerns. The story would have changed dramatically if the doctor had simply had this conversation in front of Schatz. Additionally, the doctor misunderstands the nature of the illness that he’s treating. He leaves Schatz with three pills: a laxative, a pill to overcome an acid condition, and a fever reducer. Only the last one would benefit a child with the flu. The laxative, in fact, would be downright harmful. Although these remedies were common in the 1930s, the fact that the doctor was wrong in his treatment reinforces the theme of misunderstandings in “A Day’s Wait.”

In addition, the doctor is a prime example of words not reflecting actions, a common problem in the story. The doctor says that Schatz’s illness is “nothing to worry about” (Line 76). However, he arrived at the house at nine o’ clock in the morning, indicating that Schatz was his first visit of the day. This action alone indicates that the doctor is greatly concerned over Schatz’s illness. Also, he leaves a nine-year-old three different pills to combat the illness that supposedly isn’t particularly concerning. Finally, the fact that the doctor doesn’t explain the illness to the patient indicates that he doesn’t want to worry him, which in itself indicates something to worry about. Despite his brief appearance, the doctor’s interaction with the father and son reinforces several of the story’s themes.