There are two primary characters in Hemingway's "A Day's Wait." Neither of them is actually given a name, but they are father and son. The narrator, the father, is called Papa by his son; the son, a boy of nine, is called Schatz by his father. "Schatz" is a German word literally meaning "treasure," and it is used as a pet name by German speakers and those of German descent, much like "darling."

The father is evidently dedicated to his son. When he wakes to find that the son is ill, he immediately calls a doctor, and then tries to sit with his son and read to him. He leaves the room only when he feels his son doesn't want him there, but only to walk their dog before returning. He then talks with his son in order to find out exactly why he is anxious, and gently consoles him and puts his fears at rest.

The boy, Schatz, wakes up with a very high fever and is told by the doctor to stay in bed. He seems unusually distressed, given that the doctor has said the fever is nothing to be too concerned about. Eventually, he admits to his father that he thinks he is going to die. It transpires that he has been at school in France, where a temperature of 44 (Celsius) was too high to survive, so he feels sure he will die soon. His father has to explain to him that the confusion has arisen because of a difference in measuring units, and that he will be fine.

There are three characters in the story: the boy, his father, and the doctor.

The boy (Shatz) is old enough to understand that you can’t live with a temperature over 44 degrees, but young enough to confuse Celsius and Fahrenheit.

The boy’s father (and presumably his mother) notice that he is sick.

He was shivering, his face was white, and he walked slowly as though it ached to move.

The doctor tells the boy’s father that the fever is due to influenza, and gives him medicine.  The doctor says it is ok as long as the fever does not go about 104 degrees, but the boy is convinced that he is dying because he heard in France that you can’t live with a temperature over 44 degrees.  The father feels sorry for him, and explains that it is just a different thermometer.

Although the boy has a good relationship with his father and his father is sympathetic, apprarently they do not have a close enough relationship that the father makes sure that the boy is not worried before he goes out hunting.

Who is the protagonist in "A Day's Wait"?

The protagonist is the main character in a story, the one who experiences the conflict of the story and drives it toward its resolution. In Ernest Hemingway's short story “A Day's Wait,” the protagonist is a nine-year-old boy named Schatz.

We might think this is a little strange—all Schatz seems to do in the story is lie in bed sick with influenza. His father narrates the story and performs most of the action, including caring for Schatz and going out hunting (on the ice!). Yet the story's conflict and resolution centers around Schatz.

Schatz behaves oddly with respect to his illness. He has heard the doctor say that his temperature is 102, but he doesn't seem to feel all that bad. Yet he lies very still in his bed. “His face is very white,” more than one would expect for a case of the flu, and he “seemed very detached from what was going on.” He doesn't even follow along as his father reads to him from one of his favorite books. He doesn't want to go to sleep, and he tells his father that he doesn't have to stay “if it's going to bother you.” Something is bothering Schatz. There is a conflict within him, and his father can't figure it out.

When Schatz's father returns from hunting and checks on Schatz, he discovers that Schatz doesn't want to let him or anyone else into the room. “You mustn't get what I have,” he declares. Again, his father can't figure it out. Schatz's temperature is still the same. He's not getting worse, yet he is “evidently holding tight onto himself about something.”

Finally, Schatz asks his father the question that has been bothering him all day: “About how long will it be before I die?” His father must do a double take. He isn't expecting this, and he quickly tells his son that he isn't going to die. Yet Schatz is certain. He has a temperature of 102, and he heard some boys at his school in France say that no one can survive with a temperature above forty-four degrees. It's time for Schatz's father to give him a quick lesson in the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius. When Schatz finally understands, he can start relaxing and getting over the flu, although the story ends by telling readers that the next day Schatz "cried very easily at little things that were of no importance," suggesting that the misunderstandings of the previous day greatly impacted him.