this "slice of life" element.  The story is representative of the Hemingway "local color" short story that takes a moment in real life and explores its philosophical implications.  It is for this reason that so much in the story is presented in a "slice of life" manner, for its depiction of the mundane helps to heighten the universal applications that emerge form the short story.

Tranche de vie, or slice of life, in literature usually refers to a "cut-out" portion of a larger series of events in the development of a character. It usually takes place over a short period of time, and can be a seemingly insignificant event which becomes more important in the larger storytelling perspective. Other characteristics of a slice of life story include limited exposition, conflict and character development. Such is the case with Ernest Hemingway's "A Day's Wait." The story takes place in barely 24 hours, and it tells of Schatz's case of the flu, an occasionally dangerous ailment but one which most children (and adults) usually face. We know little about the boy or his father (though the story is based on Hemingway's own son, who is nicknamed "Schatz"), and the true conflict--the misunderstanding between Fahrenheit and Centigrade thermometer readings--seem fairly insignificant; but not to Schatz, who spends the day and night worrying about when he will die. Schatz recovers, but afterward,

"he cried very easily at little things that were of no importance."

"Slice of life" refers to the realistic portrayal, in media and entertainment, of the mundanity of everyday life. There are a multitude of occurrences within "A Day's Wait" that characterize it as a slice-of-life story. For example, Schatz is experiencing a relatively high fever. Thus, his father decides to call a doctor to examine him. The doctor then prescribes three different medications to the boy. What follows is a series of mundane events: Schatz's father reads to the boy; Schatz's father gives the boy his medication; and Schatz's father goes outside to take their pet dog for a walk and hunt some quail.

Take note of Schatz's father's description of his surroundings while he's out hunting quail. There's really nothing extraordinary that occurs during his outing.

Overall, the events that unfold within the story are quite mundane and merely describe the humdrum of Schatz's, and his father's, everyday life.

"SLICE OF LIFE" EXAMPLES FROM "A DAY'S WAIT"

• Schatz closes the windows because it had gotten cold in the house during the night.
• Schatz sits by the fireplace for warmth.
• The doctor arrives to diagnose Schatz. Although unusual today, doctors often made house calls during much of the 20th century.
• The father read pirate stories to his son while he was sick.
• The father took his dog for a walk and did some hunting along the way.
• Both the dog and the man had trouble walking on the slick ice, and both of them fell.
• The father took the boy's temperature and gave him a glass of water.
• Schatz misunderstands the temperature reading (confusing Fahrenheit with centigrade), and the father explains to him that his high temperature is actually normal for a bout with the flu.
• The next day, Schatz slowly began to relax, but "he cried very easily at little things that were of no importance."

Ernest Hemingway's "A Day's Wait" does fit most of the characteristics of a slice of life story. A typical slice of life story is a short narrative of a specific event--often termed a "cut-out"--that occurs in a person's life, often seemingly insignificant yet somehow meaningful. Many of the normal literary elements found in other styles of fiction--such as exposition, character development and denouement--are often missing in slice of life fiction. In "A Day's Wait," Hemingway has chosen a day in the life of Schatz, who comes down with the flu and, overhearing the doctor's diagnosis, misinterprets the severity of his temperature--confusing the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales. He eventually recovers, but his father finds that he cries "very easily at things that were of no importance." It is a simple tale that occurs over approximately a 24 hour period, with little conflict (other than the boy's unnecessary worries about dying), characterization or plot development. Interestingly, Hemingway probably based this story on a real event from his life, since it presumably takes place in France (where Hemingway lived); and the author's eldest son, Bumby, was nicknamed "Schatz" by his Papa.