Theme Of Rich Brother By Tobias Wolff

In his short story “The Rich Brother,” Tobias Wolff describes the interactions between two brothers, Donald and Pete. Pete is a prosperous and successful man with many luxurious possessions, while Donald is a poor man who is indebted to his brother and has very few physical belongings. Superficial readers nearly always consider “the rich brother” referred to in the title to be Pete due to his physical possessions, but more in depth readers realize that the word rich might define something much more valuable than monetary wealth. Significantly, the author reveals a theme of purpose throughout the story, which separates Pete and Donald. Pete is concerned primarily with money and has no larger purpose, while Donald lives to help others around …show more content…
Pete simply cannot understand why Donald has become “a Christian” and doesn’t find “it necessary to believe in anything.” In fact he even implies that Donald’s religion results in him “making [a fool] of” himself, unlike when he was younger and had no religion while still being a “decent [person].” On the other hand, Donald feels that his purpose is being fulfilled now, and he is “happy ... in the Lord.” He no longer sees religion as foolishness, as evidenced by his decision to live on a farm with “a family of faith.” Throughout the story, it becomes obvious that Donald’s religion indeed gives his life purpose as he seeks to discover spiritual truths much more valuable than himself. Therefore, his purpose being sought after, he attains riches more valuable than those Pete has physically acquired. Although Donald is concerned with “his own soul,” he also is extremely kind and generous to …show more content…
For example, Donald gives away all “the groceries” of the farm to “fieldworkers” that need them much more than he does. While he regrets not being “fair to [him]self” and “practical” by keeping some of the groceries for the farm family, he has no doubt that he should have given away at least a portion of them. If he could not exhibit his generosity by giving to others, he would feel unaccomplished as his purpose would be unfulfilled. Another significant instance of generosity is when Donald gives away the money Pete gave him to Webster. While Pete is convinced that the money is “Gone. Just like that.” Donald, on the other hand, likely had reasons to give away the money. Of course if the gold mine is real, Donald would come out ahead, but even if it is not Donald receives the satisfaction of knowing that his purpose is fulfilled through his generous giving to a man in need. For Donald, fulfilling that purpose is much more valuable than “a hundred dollars,” and his purpose gives him riches worth more than