The Rich Brother Tobias Wolff Summary

Tobias Wolff is an American author who is known for his memoirs and short stories. Wolff wrote many short stories, notably "The Rich Brother." The Rich Brother is a story about two brothers with two completely different lifestyles. Pete, the oldest, is a financially successful business owner with a family and nice house. Donald, the youngest, is a free-flowing soul searching for the right religion, with not much in his name. The story is about how Pete goes to pick up Donald from a religious house he was kicked out of. The two discuss the past and become tense, and the feeling continues when Donald lets a hitchhiker into the car. When Donald gives the hitchhiker money given to him from Pete, Pete snaps on Donald. Donald then decides to leave the car and Pete drives away. At the end of the story, Pete is feeling content with his life, but turns the car around when he thinks of …show more content…
Literary critique James Hannah writes: "The opening story of Back in the World, "Coming Attractions," and the closing one, "The Rich Brother," are two of Wolff's most transparent calls to the importance of becoming more human by abandoning egotism for brotherly concern" (Hannah 22). The book "The Rich Brother" appears in starts and ends with a story about 'being your brother's keeper', which proves that Wolff is trying to get the point across that it is necessary to 'be your brother's keeper'. The end of "The Rich Brother" ends with Pete knowing "that he would be able to drive on like this, alone, and have the right answer when his wife stood before him in the doorway of his home and asked, Where is he? Where is your brother?" (Wolff 18). Pete knows what the right answer is, and goes back to get Donald. The Rich Brother shows that one must 'be their brother's keeper', and needs nurture those around us to be an outstanding person and role