A family in turmoil will be a peaceful day today In Amy Hempel's story, "Today Will Be a Peaceful Day," a father takes the day off to spend time with his two sons in a place called "Petaluma". The title suggests that this day was one of calm and relaxation, but in reality the title should be "A Family in Turmoil." Throughout the journey, the children argue, complain, and fight, which seems to suggest that the day is quite depressing and humiliating for their father (Baker 170). The father's good intentions for quality family time failed. When I first read the story, I had the feeling that their relationships were a bit detached and never quite came together. Distressed by the death of a close friend, the boy tries to ignore his feelings and jokes with his sister. His friend was a mentally ill man who threw himself off a building. Being very young and unable to deal with this tragedy, the boy jokes with his sister about the collapse of the bridge. “The mention of suicide and the collapse of the bridge sets a depressing tone for the rest of the story” (Baker 170). Arguments about Raisinettes force the father to resolve the issue by saying, "you'll both ruin your lunch." As the day progresses, their discussions become more serious and raise concern for the father who is trying to better understand his children. In complete agreement with Justin Oeltzes' article, "A Sad Story", I also believe that this dark omen of the time to come is an indication of the author's direct intention to write a sad story. At lunch the children are rowdy and need to be calmed down. The father says, “Maybe we could try a little silence today.” The girl replies: "You look like your tombstone. Do you remember what you wanted it to say?" His brother joins in saying, "Today will be a quiet day. Because he's never around us." (Hempel 1204). Shortly after finishing the meal, the girl asks about her dog. “Did anyone remember to feed him?” he asks (Hempel 1205). The boy stages the death again by saying that he forgot to feed the dog and then proceeds to remind her of his previous dog. She was told that the dog had been taken to a sheep farm where, in reality, the dog had been put to sleep. Naturally the girl began to cry.