Analysis of the short story 'Examination Day'.

The examination room was just as restricted as the lives they lead. The room was very dim which represents amount of information they know about the world and their current government. Also in Dickie’s eyes the room doesn’t look very inviting or welcoming even if it was an examination room. Although Dickie could not really see the ‘gray-tunicked attendant’ he knew that this was a very serious matter. The dimness of the room also shows the secretiveness of the government and how much they want their citizens to know.

On the day of Dickie’s examination his parents’ were very anxious to see whether or not their son was allowed to come home or not; there were ‘… not speaking, not even speculating.’ They were so apprehensive that when the phone rang they both tried to reach for it. This shows that they had a feeling that things were not going to work out perfectly for them.  When Mr Jordan answered the phone to the ‘Government Educational Service’ he was told that his son’s ‘…intelligence quotient has exceeded the Government regulation.’  This information was a shock to Mr Jordan that even his wife had read the expression of disappointment on his face.

The government had announced that Dickie was going to die because he had breached the ‘intelligence quotient’. This shows that the government are too scared to let the clever people live their own lives or even work for them at their young age. This shows that the dictator is not as strong as he portrays himself to be. This shows that he is insecure and that if anyone clever was around he would probably crumble from having lack of authority.

I think that the Jordan family live in a completely totalitarian world where they have no freedom to do what they like when they feel like it; unless they are in their own home. Their dictator is too worried about anyone overruling him; he feels the need to get rid all of the clever citizens to be secure in his position. This shows that this dictator is too unsecure to be head of the government. He needs to step aside and let someone else do the job properly.