This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff is a memoir which follows Tobias Wolff through ages ten to fifteen. Since he was separated from his father and his brother Tobias, later known as Jack, and his mother Rosemary are always on the move. The book follows Jack’s harsh childhood and his time on the road with his mother, searching for salvation and a practical lifestyle. As a mother Rosemary is unconventional wanting to travel and explore instead of committing to the role of a typical housewife. It is clear that she loves her son very much, but her well-meaning decisions can prove destructive. Amongst her worst decisions was to get married to Dwight. He is a seemingly nice man, but under the surface he is actually hostile and relentless, especially towards Jack. Dwight is unmistakably the antagonist of the memoir. He is a villain who steals Jack’s happy childhood right out from underneath him. Dwight is cruel, a monster whose only motivation is to degrade and defile everyone he can.
Rosemary’s leniency in disciplining Jack and Dwight’s cruelty toward him cause him to act negatively. Rosemary’s leniency to discipline Jack only encourages him to misbehave. One example of this is when Roy (Rosemary’s ex boyfriend) gave Jack a Winchester .22 rifle. Although Rosemary felt strongly that Jack should NOT own a gun, Jack was able to take advantage of her and force her to let him keep it. Then she said that Jack could not play with it at all and that it must remain out of his hands for nothing else other than cleaning it. Jack, knowing that he would not get into any consequences with his mother, took the gun out every day and played with it. He aimed it out the window at random pedestrians. At one point he even loaded the gun and open fired on a squirrel.
The Research paper on Running Head Gun Control In The Usa
Running head: GUN CONTROL IN THE USA Gun Control in the USA April 13, 2009 Gun Control in the USA Introduction The issue of gun control in the United States has become a subject of heated debates. The furor over gun control issues has raged across the U.S. society for years. Yet, despite the numerous studies and discussions concerning this problem, no comprehensive policy analysis on gun control ...
However, Jack knew that he would not get into any trouble and continued this extremely dangerous act each day whenever his mother was at work. Another example is when Rosemary and Jack were headed to Chinook. As they were packing their items to leave, Rosemary forbade him from taking the gun along. Jack disobeyed his mother and, knowing that she could not control what he does, insisted on taking the gun, even taking it apart and demonstrating how it could be stored easily. Moreover, these examples show how Jack blatantly disobeys his mother and does what he wants to do. He knows that his mother cannot tell him what to do and he knows that he will never get in trouble for committing acts that go against his mother’s word.
One time, Jack was called to this principal’s office for writing expletives on the school lavatory walls. His mother did not believe that he could ever do that. Despite the fact that it was obvious that he did, Rosemary pleaded that Jack did not and would never do such a thing. She refused to accept the fact that Jack did this because she knows that she cannot control and discipline Jack. Furthermore, this shows that Rosemary does not want to discipline her son because she knows that she cannot. When his mother denies the fact that Jack committed such a malicious act, Jack sees that his mother does not care what he does, she would rather decline his wrong doings than have to face disciplining him.
This shows Jack that it is okay to behave the way he does and take advantage of his mother. Jack’s behavior worsens because of Dwight. For example, in the book Jack is seen having various conversations with his friend Arthur about Dwight and how he treats him. Consequently, he even plans to run away to Alaska to escape his problems he has mainly caused by his stepfather. Jack plans to buy a bus ticket and live in Alaska to start a new life there. Although he did not follow through with this plan, he was able to save eighty dollars from stealing money from his paper route subscribers. This is a prime example how Dwight’s severity and cruelty affects Jack’s behavior. Since his stepfather is such an unrelentless man, Jack plans on running away from home and the way he achieves the funds for this trip is stealing money from innocent people that he delivered newspapers to.
The Essay on Jack London
John (Jack) Griffith London (1876-1916) was born in San Francisco, California. His mother, Flora Wellman, came from a wealthy family. As an infant, Virginia Prentiss, a major mother figure, raised Jack in Jacks childhood, an ex-slave. She was obligated to care for Jack because Jacks mother was ill. In his teenage years, Jack worked very hard jobs he served on a fish patrol catching poachers; he ...
