Powder by Tobias Wolff Essay

"Powder", a short story by Tobias Wolff, is about the experience of a father and son's race against time to both spend a precious occassion with each other, and make it home through a snow storm so that occassion does not ruin already crumbling family relations. The main character is an unnamed boy who is engulfed in a sense of responsibility, cautiousness, and anxiety. He is the mirror atithesis of his father, who is carefree, assertive, and is willing to take risks that could land him in trouble, whether that be with the law or with his estranged wife. The boy's father takes him on a ski trip in the mountains, albeit promising the boy's mother to get him back in time for christmas eve dinner. Overly willing to spend as much time with his

In the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon, Ed Boone is the father of a brilliant boy, Christopher, who has signs of autism or a similar disorder which makes him very particular, and have extremely rigid standards. Ed constantly overworks himself to please Christopher, and make his son feel as comfortable as possible even though Christopher never thanks him. A similar idea is expressed in “Those Winter Sundays”, by Robert Hayden, where a boy reflects on all his father has done for him even though he and his family never acknowledged all of the effort and labor his father put into making them happy, healthy, and free from these labors. Both the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and “Those Winter Sundays” suggest that a parent will go to great lengths for their children's prosperity and comfort even if their children never say thank you.

Conflict was used effectively in the short story to reveal the theme of the story. The boy has an internal conflict about which parent to stay with, and because his father left, he seemed to have favored him. He wanted him back so badly that every night, he watches him on the six o’clock news while wearing his old jackets. He was blinded by his father’s sudden departure that he forgot about what is really important. Additionally, another development in the short story’s conflict has been used effectively to reveal the theme. When the boy went to Macdonald’s to see his father’s true colors, he thought: “I finished my drink quickly, thankful that he had to be back in the studio for the news.” By the time he saw his dad for the first time in a while, he knew he was not the man he thought he was. At that moment, he also realized that he lost sight of what he had all this time: His mother’s unconditional love. If it wasn’t for the characterization of

Parenting played a big role in shaping the two boys lives. Having a parental mentor is important because they assist and guide children to take the right decisions about their lives. The author had his two parents at the beginning of his life. Also, the author’s parents, especially his mother, tried to raise him in an effective way wanting him to know the right from wrong at an early age. “No mommy loves you, like I love you, she just wants you to do the right thing” (Moore 11). This quote was a live example of the author’s life with his parents. It reflected the different ways his parents used to teach him “the right thing.” Though his mother was upset from his action toward his sister, his father

The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives.

Early on in the novel, the reader begins to learn that the The Man and The Boy have a very close and intimate bond. Rather than causing a strain on the their relationship, the isolation that constantly follows the pair on The Road actually made their bond as father and son stronger . Traveling along The Road by themselves causes The Man and The Boy’s relationship to become extremely codependent. The Boy relies on The Man like any child would rely on their father. The Boy completely counts on The Man for everything, including food, shelter, clothes, and everything else that is needed to survive on The Road. The Man keeps them safe from the “bad guys” and keeps them alive and as healthy as he can. The Boy’s needs are always put before The Man’s needs. However, The Man depends upon The Boy just as much as The Boy depends on him. If it weren’t for The Boy, The Man would have been dead a long time ago. The only reason that he has survived this long is because of The Boy. Making sure The Boy survives is the only meaning that The Man has to his life. The Boy’s continued existence is the most influential motivation

The first passage reveals the parallel suffering occurring in the lives of different members of the family, which emphasizes the echoes between the sufferings of the father and the narrator. The narrator’s father’s despair over having watched

The ideal family of parents and a few kids typically does bonding activities. As time goes by, they grow to love each other more by doing things together. The rebellious lives led by the narrator, Robert, and his brother, Carlton, in “White Angel” by Michael Cunningham reveal a lack of such family bonding. The descriptions of the interactions between Carlton and his mother show the mother’s lack of authority over him. Additionally, the father’s apparent lack of parental assertiveness reveals a lack of authority over both Carlton and Robert.

In Tobias Wolff’s “Powder,” the protagonist undergoes a pivotal moment in which his views of his parents’ relationship, his father’s behavior, and his own behavior are altered. This epiphany comes while the young man and his father are driving through “fresh powder” (Wolff 3) on the way home from a ski trip and he realizes that his parents’ marriage will essentially end when they get there. Instead of becoming downhearted at the moment, however, he decides to reverse his opinion of his situation and submits to the thrill of it. This pivotal moment shapes the meaning of “Powder” as it reveals a change in heart of the boy as he must accept the facts of his life and mature quickly. Whereas he initially views his father as a reckless man, his parents’ marriage as still salvageable, and his own behavior as proper, he subsequently looks at his father with a sense of admiration, his parents’ marriage with a lack of hope, and his own behavior with uncertainty.

Adam Driver once said, “It's hard to kill that father- son bond”. The relationship between a father and his son is unique with every pair. While some bonds are tighter than others, the connection is always special. Though, like everything, its strength can be put to the test. In Night, Life is Beautiful, and “Those Winter Sundays”, The father-son relationship is faced with many challenges but proves that this bond is everlasting.

In this story the love the father demonstrates trying to win back his family by taking his son on a ski trip shows how the father loved his son very much. His dad fought for the right to spend some time with his son. He would not give up until the son’s mom let him take his

During Christmas Jeannette’s father Rex would give his kids stars as a present. Jeannette describes Rex as an intelligent, loving and smart father that she admired a lot. The term father reflected Jeannette’s overall admiration for her father because her father is brave enough to face the cold. As the author quotes, ‘the cold never bothered him” (39). In other words, Rex Walls has the potential to make Jeannette feel special. Specifically, Jeannette describes her father in a very simple way that explains the entry experience and structure of the story. In the book Jeannette repeats that “Dad said” several

This highlights the realistic atmosphere prevailing as well as reflects the true meaning of relationship. The readers are exposed to the mother-son relationship. It can be seen that even if the narrator is a twenty-year old law student, he is still the little boy who needed his neck scrubbed from the point of view of the mother. Whatever good advice the son gives, it is not followed and instead he is given a lecture. This is a typical mother-son relationship which shows that no matter how much a child grows, he always remains a little kid for the mother. Moreover, the readers also notice the routine life of the narrator and his mother. The boy used to accompany his mother to work and help her which makes a four-hour job becomes two. There is solidarity, strong family bond and understanding between them because although he did not like his mother

After years away from home, Peter has returned as a man to help bury his father. Over the years, father and son must have had some misunderstandings. In Peter’s perspective, he viewed his father as a “humorless and severe”. Peter came to a realization that in some ways he was afraid of his father. Peter and his father being different types of people- Peter being thoughtful while his dad takes business seriously- are miscommunicating with each other