Sunday In The Park Bel Kaufman Analysis

You are in a situation where you have to protect your family from a bully and you have a choice to make, to either defend your family, or walk away, what would you do? This is the situation in the story: "Sunday in the Park" by Bel Kaufman, where three adults with different personalities contradict with each other. This conflict between them develops the symbolism of the story, the three main characters of the story represent the three aspects of human nature. “Sunday in the Park” symbolizes these three aspects of human nature through the characters of Morton, Joe’s father, and the wife, who present the weak, the ignorant, and the righteous. Morton represents the human nature force of weakness within the story when he shows cowardly behavior and poor judgment during the confrontation with Joe’s father. Morton runs away from the spotlight, not taking a stance, which is not a responsible action that a good role model should exhibit. After the confrontation he gives an excuse for leaving, stating that he believed he was doing the right thing for his family. He gives the reason, "'My glasses broken, perhaps a tooth or two replaced, a couple of days' work missed - and for what? For justice? For truth'" (Kaufman 5)? Instead of standing up for his family, he believes that backing down was …show more content…
"Sunday in the Park" develops/involves/feature three aspects of human nature, the weak, the ignorant, and the righteous. This story symbolizes these aspects through the character's actions and thoughts throughout the story. Recognizing that Morton portrays weakness, Joe’s father displays ignorance and disrespect, and that the wife represents righteousness, further helps the reader understand the conflict between the character's differing personalities. Interpreting the symbolism of human nature through the contradicting personalities is important when analyzing and understanding the