What is the central misunderstanding in "A Day's Wait?"
The central misunderstanding in "A Day's Wait" occurs when the boy called Schatz has a temperature of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. He has heard from his friends in France that it is impossible to survive with a temperature over 44 degrees, and therefore, he believes that he is dying. In France, however, temperature is measured in Celsius or Centigrade, and 102 degrees Fahrenheit is only slightly less than 39 degrees Celsius.
This explanation clears up the central misunderstanding in a manner that should be intelligible to anyone. When writing an explanation of this story's central misunderstanding, you might add further information to clarify the nature of the misunderstanding or consider what the confusion says about the boy and his family. The boy's father explains the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius (units of measurement he does not actually name) by saying that the distinction is similar to the difference between...
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miles and kilometers, with which Schatz is already familiar. The confusion arises in the first place because the boy and his father, like many of Hemingway's characters, carry on their lives between two cultures. The confusion over the thermometer is one sign of their deracinated existence, in which even units of measurement must be translated.
What events lead to the misunderstanding in "A Day's Wait"?
Before we think about the events and situations leading up Schatz's misunderstanding, let's determine what that misunderstanding is. Schatz has caught the flu and has a temperature of 102 degrees, but he thinks that he will die because a boy at school told him that anyone with a temperature of over forty-four degrees will die. He has confused Fahrenheit and Celsius!
Now we'll look at how this misunderstanding came about. Schatz wakes up one morning with a headache and the chills. His father tells him to go back to bed and calls the doctor. The doctor takes the boy's temperature and discovers he has a fever. Schatz hears the number 102 but doesn't hear what the doctor tells his father after the two adults go back downstairs. The doctor prescribes some medicine and says that if the fever stays below 104, there is no cause to worry.
Schatz is clearly disturbed, unable even to listen to his father read his favorite book. He acts and looks strangely to his father, but his father cannot figure out what is going on. Schatz even tells him that he doesn't have to stay with him if it bothers him. Again, his father does not know what he means. He gives Schatz the medicine and leaves him to rest.
A while later, the father goes back to check on his son, but Schatz doesn't want him to come into the room. He is afraid that his father will catch whatever he has. His father ignores that and takes the boy's temperature again. It is still a hundred and two. The father tells Schatz not to worry. Schatz says he isn't, but he "can't keep from thinking."
Then Schatz springs a very odd question on his father: "About what time do you think I'm going to die?" That's when the whole misunderstanding comes out, and Schatz explains what the boy at school had told him. His father is quick to explain the difference between temperature systems, and when Schatz understands that, he can finally relax and recover.