The Traditional American Family Analysis

When you grow up in America, the values and views of what an American family is said to be is instilled deep within your subconscious from a young age. You grow up watching your parents strive to reach this goal and fit in themselves. The traditional American family is viewed as having a mom, a dad, and children. In the 1950s, these views were very important to everyone. If you didn’t fit into this tradition, then you weren’t a part of the realm of normal. Tobias Wolff and his mother, Rosemary, were no different from everyone else. Throughout the book, they searched in the wrong people and traveled across the states to try to become the traditional American family. That is until they became one of many who realized that these views aren’t the only important …show more content…
“But I was glad to be once more on the run and glad that I would have her to myself again.” (31) They didn’t need the traditional American family to feel complete. It would just be the two of them from here on out and at least in confirmation Toby was perfectly okay with that.
“And then came Dwight.” (63) In the four short words, the next attempt at a traditional American family is introduced. Once again Toby’s completely against his mother’s choices in men. “I didn’t worry about him. He was too short.” (63) He completely dismissed Dwight along with insulting him by pointing out that he wasn’t even his mom’s type. Dwight wasn’t given a chance to complete their little family until Rosemary wanted the chance to be given.
Finally my mother told me that Dwight was urging a proposal which she felt bound to consider… after Christmas I [would] move up to Chinook and live with him and go to school there. If things worked out, if I made a real effort and got along with him and his kids, she would quit her job and accept his offer of