Table of contentsPowder 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 a memoir based on 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, were separated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay Tobias Wolff's life experiences influenced his literary works. One example is his short story “Powder”, where he depicts a complicated relationship between father and son. Father and son in "Powder" Tobias Wolff, the author of the short story "Powder", developed his main characters exceptionally for such a short piece. In the story, a father and son go on a ski trip and end up breaking some rules to get the son home in time for Christmas dinner. First, Wolff demonstrates his writing prowess in the character of the father. In the text, the father is presented as an unreliable, careless, impulsive and irresponsible parent. However, after careful reading, it becomes unequivocally clear that the father truly cares about his son and his family in general. An example in the text that proves the father's hasty and carefree personality is when he and his son leave the hotel, but the father decides to postpone their departure to run a few more errands. The father's impetuous decision is manifested when it begins to snow and “in this snow he observed a rare quality which forced us to make a final descent. We made several last runs.” It is clear to the reader that the father is impulsive and reckless with his son because of the carefree way in which he decides to ignore the lack of time and ski again. They were already packed and ready to go, when the father just had to run a few more errands. 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. We can find an example where the father and his son discuss the latter's strengths. The son begins the conversation: “'Okay then. What are my strengths. " 'Don't get me started,' he said. 'That would take all day.' 'Oh, that's right. Name one. 'Easy. We're always thinking about the future.' In this play, the father convinces his son of his many assets. Her love for her son is evident in her quick response to her son's question. He already has the answer on the tip of his tongue, which means he observes his son and knows his characteristics by heart. Finally, the father's love for his son and reckless tendencies merge in the last example. When the father learns that the only road he can take home is closed due to snow, reality sets in when he realizes that his son will not be home in time for the Christmas dinner with his mother. Their marriage already being in ruins, the father knows that his wife will not forgive him and that this would be the straw that breaks the camel's back; especially after he sneaked his underage son into a nightclub and his wife found out. After the father finished eating, “he walked towards the phone booth at the back of the restaurant... When the policeman's car passed with its lights flashing, he got up and put money on the check.” The father knows that the soldier blocking the road will never open the road just for them, so he decides to take matters into his own hands. He violates thelaw by calling for a false emergency in order to get rid of the police officer. His illegal activity is somewhat justified by his motivations; he was only trying to bring his son back 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 extra runs, but they left late because of his spontaneity.trends.ConclusionIn conclusion, Wolff developed the father as an irresponsible but loving character through the numerous examples of characterization mentioned previously. Wolff also masterfully developed the character of the son in his story. The son turns out to be meticulous and organized almost to the point of suffering from OCD. Throughout the story, we can see his growth as a character when he lets go of 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 very nervous, he likes to have control over all aspects of his life and he lives by his own strict rules. He plans ahead so he knows what's going to happen and never gets caught by surprise. This method works for him and brings him comfort. When he has to face a situation for which he is not prepared, he is pushed out of his comfort zone and this loss of control develops his character. The son finally admits that he cannot control every situation in the following excerpt: “I thought ahead. I knew there would be other soldiers waiting for us at the end of our ride. I knew we would be caught; I resigned myself to it, that’s why I stopped moping around and started having fun.” In the story, when he lets go a little, he begins to truly live in the moment. Both examples show how this character has developed throughout the story, from a stuck-up child to someone who can let go of his need for control and allow himself to live a little. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayThe 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 through the different dispositions of the characters. The message of the story was summed up in the last sentence: "If you haven't ridden in powder, you haven't ridden." The idea this quote makes us think is that if you haven't broken the rules or let go, 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 development of the son's character and convey the message to the reader. To conclude, the author chose to develop characters with opposing personalities to show how they influence each other and help the reader see the message of the story through indirect characterization and development. Works CitedBuysse, DJ (2014). Sleep health: can we define it? Is this important? Sleep, 37(1), 9-17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Lack of sleep is a public health epidemic. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/index.html Diekelmann, S. and Born, J. (2010). Sleep memory function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11, 114-126. Grandner, MA, Jackson, NJ, Gerstner, JR, & Knutson, KL (2014). Sleep Symptoms Associated with Consumption of Food Nutrients,, 26(4), 219-225.