Bad Families in Sunday in the Park by Bel Kaufman Upon first reading, "Sunday in the Park" by Bel Kaufman appears to be the story of two families in a public park; one family is good and likes to avoid conflict, while the other is a more hostile family consisting of a father and son, who both seem domineering. There are clues in the story, however, that may lead readers to change their opinion about which family is good or bad. While I have been unable to find any critical articles to support my thesis on "Sunday in the Park", I believe there is enough evidence in the story to suggest that my interpretation of the story is valid. , the author gives the reader images of the two families that demonstrate the level of goodness of each family. In the first paragraph, Morton, the father of the "good" family, is described as "reading the Times Magazine section, with one arm thrown around her [mother's] shoulders" (965). Furthermore, the mother's attitude towards the day is seen when she thinks to herself, "How beautiful it is" (965). Morton and his mother happily watch their son, Larry, play in the sandbox at the park. All these images suggest a happy family having a good life. The mother's thoughts also express the goodness she feels towards her family and life in general. On the other hand, the author explains the "bad" family, Joe and his father, with the use of images that show "the bully" in each of them. Kaufman introduces Joe by writing, “The other boy suddenly stood up and with a quick, deliberate movement of his chubby arm threw a shovelful of sand at Larry” (965). The speaker describes the child's father by saying, "He hasn't looked up from his comics, but... middle of paper... his father is enjoying a beautiful day at the park just as Larry's family is. From Joe's father's perspective, his son can throw sand into a public sandbox unless he says not to. The reader knows that the sand throwing is intentional, but Joe could have thrown the sand simply for the simple purpose to get Larry's attention so that he can have someone to play with. There are clues that suggest that Larry's mother, in a way, envies Joe and his father because they can fend for themselves about her husband and son because. they don't "fight their own battles." The suggestion that Morton is abusive towards the boy also helps the reader understand that Larry's family is just as bad, if not worse, than Joe's family.Works CitedKaufman, Bel." Sunday in the Park." The Anthology of Harper Fiction Ed Sylvan Barnet New York: HarperCollins, 1986.