The setting of Bel Kaufman’s short story entitled, “Sunday in the Park” is meant to be an enjoyable afternoon at the park, yet because of the ill-mannered father it soon evolves into quite the opposite. Tensions rise as the mood grows dark and vengeful, spoiling all hopes of a peaceful

Throughout the two short stories, both Kaufman and King have confirmed their ability to transform the simple use of setting into the explicit development of the much larger theme of stereotypes in society. This underlying theme is present in “Sunday in the Park” through one stereotypically “good” family that likes to avoid conflict, and the other “bad” more hostile family, consisting of a father and a son, who both seem to be intimidating bullies. This story focuses more on society’s stereotype of the proper way to raise a child as well as the clashing points of view from fathers of different social classes. “The Open Car” however, presents the underlying theme of stereotypes of the citizens in society showcasing the bitter reality that there is a great deal of racial prejudice and inequality towards immigrants. As proven in the story, authority figures have yet to break the stereotype and realize that an immigrant can be as little a threat as any other citizen.

The short story “The Open Car” writte

Some topics in this essay:
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