Examination Day

“He didn’t understand what the sudden tension was about, but he did know that today was his birthday, and he wanted harmony above all.”

Dickie is intelligent, but he is also a child and therefore not entirely aware of what is going on around him. He is perceptive enough to recognize that there is tension between his parents, but he does not understand the reason for it. His lack of understanding emphasizes the horror of the ending, contributing to the theme of Innocence as a Lens for Dystopian Horror.

“He wanted the day to be happy, and the moistness of his mother’s eyes, the scowl on his father’s face, spoiled the mood of fluttering expectation with which he had greeted the morning.”

Throughout “Examination Day,” the tone is emotionally detached. This is reflected even in the description of Dickie’s feelings. He seemingly does not recognize that his mother has been weeping, describing it simply as “the moistness of his mother’s eyes.”

“His mother looked at the tablecloth. ‘It’s just a sort of Government Intelligence test they give children at the age of twelve. You’ll be taking it next week. It’s nothing to worry about.’”

These sentences are a clear example of how Slesar uses irony to create tension. Although Dickie’s mother is describing the exam as a routine matter which Dickie should not “worry about,” her physical demeanor indicates her anxiety about the exam. She does not look at Dickie; instead, she avoids his eyes and “look[s] at the tablecloth” instead.

“He wandered towards the window, and peered gloomily at the veil of mist that shrouded the glass.”

This sentence illustrates how Slesar uses setting to develop the themes and mood of “Examination Day.” When Dickie looks out the window, his view is obscured by a “veil of mist.” This is symbolic of how young Dickie does not understand fully what is going to happen to him and develops the theme of innocence as a lens for dystopian horror. The gloomy weather on his birthday creates a mood of sadness and melancholy.

“‘Why did it have to rain today?’ he said. ‘Why couldn’t it rain tomorrow?’ 

His father, now slumped into an armchair with the Government newspaper, rattled the sheets in vexation.”

This exchange illustrates two key characteristics of Dickie and Mr. Jordan. Dickie is curious about the world around him, and he sees his father as an authority figure who can answer these questions. Mr. Jordan, in contrast, is easily frustrated by his son’s questions and his own knowledge of the world is limited to what can be read in “the Government newspaper.”

“His mother beamed as she handed over the gaily-colored packages, and even his father managed a grin and a rumple-of-the-hair.”

This sentence describes Dickie’s birthday celebration as if it is an ideal, typical 1950s American birthday party. It contributes to the irony throughout “Examination Day” because lurking beneath the happy moment is the parents’ knowledge that it might be their last birthday with their son.

“Dickie sat at the breakfast table and again saw moisture in his mother’s eyes.”

Dickie does not fully comprehend the significance of everything going on around him, but he is perceptive enough to recognize signs that something is wrong. When he “again [sees] moisture in his mother’s eyes,” he knows that she is upset, but he does not understand it is because he might die.

“Now, it’s nothing to worry about. Thousands of children take this test every day. The Government wants to know how smart you are, Dickie. That’s all there is to it.”

Mr. Jordan outright lies to Dickie when he insinuates that the exam is “nothing to worry about.” This goes to Mr. Jordan’s character. He is seeking to keep his son calm, both for Dickie’s sake and for his own, because if they faced the horrible possibility of Dickie’s death, he would not be able to cope.

“The room was as cold and official as a courtroom, with long benches flanking metal tables. There were several fathers and sons already there, and a thin-lipped woman with cropped black hair was passing out sheets of paper.”

The setting of the Government building is described in terms that emphasize the institution’s imposing authority and indifference to humanity. It is cold and sparsely furnished with industrial “metal tables.” This prefigures the cold, official cruelty with which the Government will inform the Jordans of Dickie’s death.

“‘Good luck, son,’ his father said, without looking at him. ‘I’ll call for you when the test is over.’”

This is a key moment in the narrative. Before the plot twist, Mr. Jordan’s seeming coldness and indifference to his son as he goes into the examination room suggests that Mr. Jordan is unconcerned about his son’s performance on the exam. After the revelation that Dickie was killed for performing too well on the exam, Mr. Jordan’s seeming coldness can be better interpreted as his attempt to hide his heartbreak and worry.

“He led Dickie to the end of the room, where a single wooden armchair faced a multi-dialed computing machine. There was a microphone on the left arm of the chair, and when the boy sat down, he found its pinpoint head conveniently at his mouth.”

The introduction of the exam machine is the most explicitly science-fiction element in the narrative as whole. The “multi-dialed computing machine” would have been a futuristic technology when “Examination Day” was published in 1952, although it is not dissimilar to contemporary polygraph machines.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jordan were in the living room, not speaking, not even speculating.”

This sentence emphasizes the tension and strain Mr. and Mrs. Jordan are under while they await the results of Dickie’s exam. Their lack of expressive emotion during this difficult time represents the spare, restrained tone of “Examination Day” as a whole.

“This is the Government Educational Service. Your son, Richard M Jordan, Classification 600-115 has completed the Government examination. We regret to inform you that his intelligence quotient is above the Government regulation, according to Rule 84 Section 5 of the New Code.”

This is the resolution and plot twist of “Examination Day,” wherein the Jordans learn that their son, Dickie, has been killed because of his intelligence. The cold, bureaucratic language used by the Government employee in informing them of his death illustrates the cruelty of the totalitarian regime and its indifference to human life.