Summary Of Boys By Rick Moody

Many things come to mind when thinking about how growing to adulthood is. The one most important aspect of this transition is the moment a person transforms from a child to a true adult. This is clearly evident in Rick Moody’s short story “boys” which follow two brothers and their growth into adulthood. Moody not only shows what it truly means to grow up but he also presents the story through the use of different elements. He uses the phrase “boys enter house” constantly throughout the story to add emphasis on a change in where the boys are in their stage of growth to adulthood. Not only that but he also uses the transitions that occur in the boy’s lives to truly present if they’ve reached true adulthood and ultimately Moody uses the irony of the word “boys” in …show more content…
Moody uses this phrase for a multitude of reasons aside from just having it as a transition. He uses it to set up how important the house is to the boys and to the story by having the house be the beginning of something new in their lives. Every time they enter the house is when they officially change, not when they are out in the world doing whatever it is they do. It is only when they step back into the house where their story started is when they make a change within their lives. An example of this would be “Two boys, one striking the other with a rubberized hotdog, enter the house. Two boys, one of them striking the other with a willow switch about the head and shoulders, the other crying, enter the house.” (Moody) This presents a change of power dynamic between the two brothers, which possibly shows how one brother might have been the one beaten with the rubberized hotdog who then grows up a little more and learns to fight back with a willow switch. Through this phrase Moody is able to create a sort of cycle for the lives of these boys by having everything that happens begin at the