IndexPowder by Tobias Wolff: SummaryFather and Son in “Powder”ConclusionWorks CitedPowder by Tobias Wolff: SummaryTobias Jonathan Ansell Wolff is best known for his short stories and memoirs based about his own life. The famous author was born on June 14, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama to Rosemary Loftus and Arthur Samuel Wolff, when Wolff's parents divorced, he and his brother, Geoffrey Wolff, went their separate ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tobias Wolff's life experiences influenced his literary works. An example is his story “Polvere”, in which he describes a complicated relationship between father and son. Father and Son in “Dust” Tobias Wolff, the author of the story “Dust,” developed his main characters exceptionally for such a short piece. In the story, a father and son go skiing and end up breaking some rules to get their son home in time for Christmas dinner. First, Wolff demonstrates his skill as a writer in the character of the father. In the text the father is shown as an unreliable, carefree, impulsive and irresponsible parent. After careful reading, however, it becomes unmistakably clear that the father truly cares about his son and his family as a whole. An example in the text that demonstrates the father's hasty and carefree personality is when he and his son are leaving the hotel, but the father decides to postpone their departure to go on a few more runs. The father's impetuous decision was manifested when it began to snow and “in this snow he observed some rare quality that made it necessary for us to make one last run. We did several last laps." It is clear to the reader that the father is impulsive and reckless with his son because of the carefree way he decides to ignore their lack of time and ski some more. They were already ready to leave, when the father did nothing more than run a few more runs. This explicitly shows that the father is irresponsible and unreliable towards his son. However, the text also implies the father's love for his son. An example can be found where the father and son discuss the son's strengths. The son starts the conversation: "'Okay then. What are my strengths. 'Don't get me started,' he said. 'It would take all day. 'Oh, right.' Name one. ''Easy. Always think ahead.'” In this piece, the father convinces his son of his many strengths is evident in his quick response to his son's question response on the tip of the tongue, which means he observes his son and knows his characteristics by heart. Finally, the father's love for his son and reckless tendencies come together in the final example. When the father is told that the. the only road they can take to get home is closed due to snow, reality takes over when she realizes that her son won't be home in time for Christmas dinner with his mother, who is already in crisis. the father knows that his wife will not forgive him and that this would be the last straw; especially after he smuggled his minor son into a nightclub and his wife found out. After the father finished eating, "he went to the pay phone in the back of the diner... When the policeman's car passed, lights flashing, he stood up and dropped some money into the account." The father knows that the policeman blocking the road would never open the road just for them, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. Breaks the law by calling a false emergency to get the police officer out of the way. Its illegal activity is somehowjustified by its motivations; he was just trying to bring his son home to his mother and, by extension, keep the family together. This problem could have been avoided if they had left earlier instead of skiing a few more runs, but they left late due to his spontaneity tendencies.ConclusionIn conclusion, Wolff developed the father as an irresponsible but loving character through the numerous examples of characterization mentioned in precedence. Wolff also masterfully developed the character of the son in his story. The son has proven to be meticulous and organized almost to the point of OCD. Throughout the story, we get to see his growth as a character when he abandons the rules a little. An example of his uptight nature can be found when the son reflects on his own inclinations: "I was a boy who kept his clothes on numbered hangers to ensure proper rotation." The son is nervous, likes to have control over every aspect of his life and lives by his strict rules. Plan ahead so you know what will happen and are never caught by surprise. This method works for him and gives him comfort. When he is faced with a situation he is not prepared for, he is pushed out of his comfort zone and that loss of control develops his character. The son finally accepts that he cannot control every situation in the following passage: “I thought about the future. I knew there would be more soldiers waiting for us at the end of our journey. I knew they would find us; I resigned myself, so I stopped being depressed and started having fun." In the story, when he lets go a little, he starts to really live in the moment. The two examples show how this character has developed over the course of the story, from an uptight kid to someone who is able to let go of his need for control and allow himself to live a little. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay The author chose to present his characters in this way to highlight their differences and show how their personalities influence each other. Wolff manages to communicate the message of the story thanks to the different dispositions of the characters. The message of the story was summed up in the last sentence: "If you haven't driven fresh powder, you haven't driven." The idea this quote brings to mind is that if you haven't broken the rules or let yourself go a little, you haven't truly lived. The father's personality is the opposite of the son's and the way the two interact and help each other grow shows the reader the message of the story. The father's reckless actions lead to the growth of the son's character and conveys the message to the reader. To conclude, the author chose to develop characters with opposite personalities to show how they influence each other and help the reader see the message of the story with the help of characterization and indirect development. Works CitedBuysse, DJ (2014). Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter? Sleep, 37(1), 9-17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/index.htmlDiekelmann, S., and Born, J. (2010). The memory function of sleep. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11, 114-126.Grandner, M.A., Jackson, N.J., Gerstner, J.R., & Knutson, K.L. (2014). Sleep symptoms associated with the intake of specific food nutrients. Journal of Sleep Research, 23(1), 22-34. Institute of Medicine. (2006). Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unsolved public health problem. Washington, DC: The National Academies,, 26(4), 219-225.