The quote above is from Bel Kaufman's short story "Sunday in the Park." Here, the mother (who remains unnamed in the story) tells Joe to stop throwing sand at her son, Larry. Joe and Larry are two little boys, but Joe has the advantage of size over Larry.

Larry's mother repeatedly tells Joe not to throw sand at her son, but Joe ignores her. Meanwhile, Joe's father (who remains unnamed in the story) makes the situation worse by encouraging his son to continue his rude actions. In the quote, the mother reveals that she wants Larry to learn to fight his own battles.

However, she admits that she is tempted to step in. For his part, Larry is unable to hold his own before a bully like Joe. Furthermore, the mother soon realizes that Joe's father is actually part of the problem. Feeling out of her depth, she looks to Morton, her husband. As for Morton, we are told that he works at a university, and we infer that he may be a professor.

Morton tries to reason with Joe's father but is unsuccessful. Joe's father is as intransigent as his son is. In the end, Larry and his parents have to make a humiliating exit from the park. The quote reinforces the main theme of the story: rational dialogue often proves an inadequate defense against violent provocation.

The quote is also significant because it raises an important question: how does one fight one's battles effectively if the tools at one's disposal prove inadequate? In Larry's case, he cannot confront Joe without suffering possible physical injury. He may tell Joe to cease throwing sand at him, but Joe is not likely to refrain from doing so. At the same time, it would be socially unacceptable for Larry's parents to pick a fight with Joe, despite his bullying ways.

The woman looks to her husband, Morton. For his part, Morton resorts to calm, rational discourse to tackle the issue. Sadly, his efforts fail to bring about the desired result. Joe's father ends up taunting Morton for his lack of ability to back up what he says. This sad development affects the dynamic between Morton and his wife (Larry's mother). The story ends with the woman taunting her husband with the same words Larry's father used earlier. Unable to help herself, she is filled with contempt for her impotent husband.

Certainly, the story raises some important questions: Can bullies be stopped? If so, how? Is there such a thing as security, even in our civilized society?