A Day's Wait

The central question of “A Day’s Wait” is whether it’s better to ask for help or suffer in silence. Hemingway doesn’t provide a clear answer, instead leaving a great deal of ambiguity that permeates the work. After all, while Schatz is clearly very brave in how he accepts his perceived death, this bravery is entirely unnecessary, and he could have saved himself a day of misery had he simply asked for help.

Likewise, the character’s statements to each other are extremely ambiguous. For example, Papa asks, “How do you feel, Schatz?” and Schatz replies, “Just the same, so far” (Lines 33-34). Papa’s statement could be taken several different ways: He could be asking whether Schatz still feels ill, whether he’s feeling any better, or he could be asking how the boy feels about dying. Schatz’s reply is equally ambiguous, as he doesn’t explain what he means by “so far,” and Papa never asks for an explanation.

The same can be said for the multiple times that the narrative notes how Schatz seems internally troubled. Schatz could be repressing many things, but the narrative leaves them ambiguous since Papa doesn’t question him.