What does Hemingway reveal about Schatz's character in "A Day's Wait"?
There are two kinds of things that Hemingway reveals about the boy Schatz in "A Day's Wait." The first is his relationship with the people in his world. He is trusting because he never questions what he learned at school in France from his friends. He believes the trustworthiness and believability of the people he knows. He has an inexperienced and therefore narrow vision of the world (don't we all) based on his limited experiences.
The second is inner personal qualities and characteristics. Though Schatz has the experience and world-understanding of a boy, he has the courage and determination of a man: He courageously determines to meet his (supposed) fate without shrinking in fear. He has the personal integrity and strength of character of a man: Even in his (supposed) last hours, he thinks of his father's comfort and prefers to stay awake, presumably to meet death head...
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on and not lose any experience of his short life.
What is Schatz's state of mind at the end of "A Day's Wait" by Hemingway?
At the beginning of the story, Schatz complains of a headache. When his father tells him to go to bed, Schatz says that he is alright. Schatz repeats this, so at this point, he really does think it is nothing to worry about.
But then the doctor informs Schatz's father that Schatz has influenza (the flu) and that his temperature is 102 degrees. Schatz overhears this. And his attitude changes. When his father returns, asking to read to him, he notices Schatz's dismal demeanor:
His face was very white and there were dark areas under his eyes. He lay still in the bed and seemed very detached from what was going on.
Schatz had learned at school that people with a temperature of 44 degrees (Celsius) or more would die. Schatz does not know that the doctor was giving his temperature in Fahrenheit units. For the entire day, Schatz had been thinking that with a temperature of 102, much greater than 44, he would surely die. This temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit converts to 39 degrees Celsius. When Schatz learns of this miscommunication, he no longer thinks he is going to die. He relaxes at the end of the story. And he starts to cry and worry about the little things, as children tend to do. He's no longer worried about dying.