The Hallowe En Party Summary

Mr. Luria, the father of David and Helen in “The Hallowe’en Party” by Miriam Waddington is a sophisticated man of Russian descent who is portrayed as a strict father and believes in the teachings of the Jewish religion. He is a hardworking man who puts his duty as the father figure of the family first before his own dreams as “he was shut up in the dark greasy machine shop where he earned his living.” In the end, he allows his children to attend the Hallowe’en party that is not part of Jewish religion therefore showing a change of beliefs.
Upon moving to Canada, Mr. Luria subconsciously seeks places that remind him of Russia. This portrays to the readers that he is the type of person to hold on to his past very dearly since he “searched without knowing it for landscapes that were like his old home.” As a Jewish, he believed that Hallowe’en was a Christian cultural symbol and was convinced that the multiculturalism of Canada caused one to “forget who they are, [and] where they belong[ed].”. As a result, he refused to let the kids take part in a Hallowe’en party because he was afraid that his children will forget about the Jewish customs. Being Jewish was similar to a second home to Mr. Luria and since he had already lost Russia, it would probably make him lose hope in the future since everything he believed in disappeared so easily.

Upon talking to Mr.

MacNeill, the father learns that Mr. MacNeill himself had many challenges when he first arrived in Canada. Mr. MacNeill tells Mr. Luria about the many regrets he had from his previous decisions as something similar had happened to him in the past. He did not want Mr. Luria to reject the idea of letting his kids attend the Hallowe’en party because in the years to come, “it’ll be childish grief that stay in their minds forever.” Wanting what is best for his kids, Mr. Luria temporarily abandons his beliefs even though he is afraid of the outcome, and eventually allows David and Helen to attend the

party.
Due to Mr. Luria’s significant change in Waddington’s “The Hallowe’en Party”, readers are able to deduce that the father is a dynamic character. His revelation allows him to see that it was okay to follow the Jewish faith, but also fair to take in beliefs from other perspectives, and instead of dictating the choices for his children to follow his footsteps, he decided to respect their decisions in order to open up their own path to their future.