The woman

The woman is the main character in the short story “Sunday in the Park” by Bel Kaufman. The readers see the events from her point of view. We do not know her name. She is married to Morton and has a three-year-old son, Larry (p. 1, l. 7). 

The woman has a good education, and she is most likely well-off. She is married to a university professor (p. 1, l. 19) and feels content about her life: “How good this is, she thought, and almost smiled at her sense of well-being.” (p. 1, ll. 15-17). The language in the narration, which is her inner voice, is formal, with a rich vocabulary. 

She addresses Joe in a condescending manner, pointing to her higher social status: “ ‘No, no, little boy (...) We mustn’t throw sand. It may get in someone’s eyes and hurt. We must play nicely in the nice sandbox.’ ” (p. 1, ll. 29-33). Her gestures are also pretentiou...