Through This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff explores the...
Whilst growing up without a father can have a detrimental effect on a teenage boy, more importantly knowing that one’s father is alive, and yet indifferent to his son, can be devastating. As Jack’s biological father, Arthur Wolff is almost completely absent from his life. Growing up without a father created a huge sense of insecurity within Jack, who spends much of his teenage years imagining random strangers as his father: “Sometimes, seeing a man in a suit come toward me from a distance..., I would prepare myself to recognize my father and to be recognized by him.” This desperation to be “recognized” by his largely absent father, creates a need within Jack to be accepted and loved, adored and respected. One poignant example is captured by the “long letters” he writes “at least once a week, ten twelve, fifteen pages at a time” to his pen pal, despite her being a “terse and irregular correspondent”, in the hope that she would be “in awe of me”.
Jack’s image of masculinity …show more content…
Jack has always been fond of his older brother Geoffrey, he is seen as a positive role model and impacts on his life a great deal. As Wolff got older he began speaking to his brother more, especially because his life at home deteriorates and becomes more difficult to handle. He seeks advice from Geoffrey who suggests he applies for scholarships and promises to “send a list of schools to apply to, along with addresses and deadlines.” At the end we see Geoffrey put aside his personal interests to look after Jack, after Arthur Wolff is committed. This is stark contrast to most of the other characters who Jack looks up to in This Boy’s Life who are ultimately selfish. Geoffrey shows those aspects of maturity and masculinity (being a provider) that are lacking in most of the role models in Jack’s life, proving
Whilst growing up without a father can have a detrimental effect on a teenage boy, more importantly knowing that one’s father is alive, and yet indifferent to his son, can be devastating. As Jack’s biological father, Arthur Wolff is almost completely absent from his life. Growing up without a father created a huge sense of insecurity within Jack, who spends much of his teenage years imagining random strangers as his father: “Sometimes, seeing a man in a suit come toward me from a distance..., I would prepare myself to recognize my father and to be recognized by him.” This desperation to be “recognized” by his largely absent father, creates a need within Jack to be accepted and loved, adored and respected. One poignant example is captured by the “long letters” he writes “at least once a week, ten twelve, fifteen pages at a time” to his pen pal, despite her being a “terse and irregular correspondent”, in the hope that she would be “in awe of me”.
Jack’s image of masculinity …show more content…
Jack has always been fond of his older brother Geoffrey, he is seen as a positive role model and impacts on his life a great deal. As Wolff got older he began speaking to his brother more, especially because his life at home deteriorates and becomes more difficult to handle. He seeks advice from Geoffrey who suggests he applies for scholarships and promises to “send a list of schools to apply to, along with addresses and deadlines.” At the end we see Geoffrey put aside his personal interests to look after Jack, after Arthur Wolff is committed. This is stark contrast to most of the other characters who Jack looks up to in This Boy’s Life who are ultimately selfish. Geoffrey shows those aspects of maturity and masculinity (being a provider) that are lacking in most of the role models in Jack’s life, proving