Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway Lesson Plan

What are some features common to the depictions of illness in “A Day’s Wait” and “The Gambler, The Nun, and the Radio?" What are some differences?

Some commonalities include a contrast between the seclusion of the sick room and the outside world and an emphasis on waiting and the passage of time. Students can discuss how these appear to different effect in both stories. Temporally, “The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio" is an expansion of the time elapsed in "A Day's Wait," in which Schatz falls ill, is diagnosed, believes he is in mortal danger, and knows he will recover soon within the space of a day. The sick room also serves a different function in each story. While it is...