John Cheever’s Reunion is about a boy (Charlie) who reaches out to meet his estranged father, only to learn that the man is a rude, possibly alcoholic attention-seeker who delights in putting other people down. Before the meeting, Charlie was curious to see what his father was like: 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. In cutting the reunion short, Charlie shows that he has the power to defy nature and avoid following in his father’s footsteps.
It is easy to see why Charley’s mother divorced the man. The story’s major themes are father-son relationships (disconnection, disappointment) and perception. The father sees himself as the quintessential New York businessman: suave, entitled and demanding. Charlie sees him as an embarrassing, alcohol-affected bully. Other themes: identity, alcoholism, and nature vs. nurture.
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