In my opinion, A Boy’s Life was a captivating memoir that provided insight into one boy’s troubled childhood and espoused the triumph over one’s difficulties through the realization of inner strength and self-worth.
I enjoyed reading Wolff’s memoir since, although I did not have the same experiences he did, I was able to relate his trait of wanting to please others. This made his memoir more relevant and extremely enjoyable. I also especially liked Wolff’s use of rhetorical devices. His employment of simile allowed me to better understand Wolff’s observations, and through the integration of imagery, I could clearly picture the other characters.
Besides Wolff’s use of rhetorical images, I thought his style was unique and invigorating. While his style is less succinct than some authors such as Ernest Hemingway, I enjoyed the extra detail since it allowed me to better relate to Wolff’s viewpoint. However, I appreciated Wolff’s ability to provide simple yet detailed descriptions making it concise for the reader while relatable. Whether it was depicting a character or location, Wolff clearly illustrated the scenario even while employing short and simple sentences. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading A Boy’s Life and had fun exploring a Hemingway-type style that was both relatable and entertaining.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Symbol
As a child, Jack feels powerless to control his unstable situation as he is moving constantly and living with unpredictable authority figures such as Dwight and his mother. However, when Jack receives a Winchester rifle, he is able to experience a newfound sense of empowerment. Throughout A Boy’s Life, guns symbolize a sense of power and authority.
When he has his gun aimed at passerbys, Jack “sometimes had to bite [his] lip to keep from laughing in the ecstasy of [his] power” (25). This first feeling of authority brings delight to Jack since it is something he had not previously encountered under the repressive role of Roy and the capricious nature of his mother. Because Jack “needed that rifle, for itself and for the way it completed [him]…” (23) he is unable to leave it behind when his mother and him move away from Roy. His inability to leave the rifle behind symbolizes his lack of confidence and control. Therefore, to Jack, the rifle is a necessary object which allows him to experience a sense of security.
When Jack meets Dwight, Dwight exchanges Jack’s rifle for an incompetent hunting dog. This exchange is an extended metaphor and symbolizes how Dwight usurps Jack’s sense of power and reciprocally is unable to fill the position of Jack’s father.
To Dwight, guns also symbolize a sense of control and clout. However, after Jack leaves Dwight, he returns to steal and sell Dwight’s gun. This symbolizes Jack’s seizure of the power that was previously taken by Dwight as well as the final realization of Jack’s recognition of his own power. Overall, to different characters, guns symbolize a sense of power and influence.
When he has his gun aimed at passerbys, Jack “sometimes had to bite [his] lip to keep from laughing in the ecstasy of [his] power” (25). This first feeling of authority brings delight to Jack since it is something he had not previously encountered under the repressive role of Roy and the capricious nature of his mother. Because Jack “needed that rifle, for itself and for the way it completed [him]…” (23) he is unable to leave it behind when his mother and him move away from Roy. His inability to leave the rifle behind symbolizes his lack of confidence and control. Therefore, to Jack, the rifle is a necessary object which allows him to experience a sense of security.
When Jack meets Dwight, Dwight exchanges Jack’s rifle for an incompetent hunting dog. This exchange is an extended metaphor and symbolizes how Dwight usurps Jack’s sense of power and reciprocally is unable to fill the position of Jack’s father.
To Dwight, guns also symbolize a sense of control and clout. However, after Jack leaves Dwight, he returns to steal and sell Dwight’s gun. This symbolizes Jack’s seizure of the power that was previously taken by Dwight as well as the final realization of Jack’s recognition of his own power. Overall, to different characters, guns symbolize a sense of power and influence.
Theme
One prominent theme throughout A Boy’s Life is Jack’s ability to escape reality through imagination. Wolff’s communication of this characteristic supports his purpose of relating his aspirations to escape from his problems while maintaining a strong connection with the reader. As a child, Jack “would prepare myself to recognize my father and to be recognized by him” (12). Although this sentence is fairly simple, it effectively reinforces Wolff’s bond with the reader since he or she is able to sense the loneliness Jack has and the parental recognition he craves. Additionally, it discloses the fact that Jack is powerless to influence his father; however, Jack chooses to escape this reality through the use of his imagination.
Besides wishing to be acknowledged by his father, Jack desires to change his own character. He wants to “introduce myself as a scholar-athlete, a boy of dignity and consequence, and without any reason to doubt me people would believe I was that boy, and thus allow me to be that boy” (89). Jack is desperate to transform his persona; however, he believes he is unable to alter others’ preconceived notions about his character. As a result, Jack retreats into his imagination to provide a solution to his low self-worth.
When Jack forges his letters of support for prep school, he “believed in it more than [he] believed in the facts arrayed against it” (213). Although Jack is not qualified for prep school, he imagines he is a model student and espouses his invented qualities in his recommendation letters. After he is accepted into Hill, Jack’s imagination proves to be a literal escape from the debilitating atmosphere of Concrete High.
Jack’s characteristic of escaping reality through his imagination is a reoccurring theme in A Boy’s Life which buttresses his purposes of effectively communicating his aspirations with the reader.
Besides wishing to be acknowledged by his father, Jack desires to change his own character. He wants to “introduce myself as a scholar-athlete, a boy of dignity and consequence, and without any reason to doubt me people would believe I was that boy, and thus allow me to be that boy” (89). Jack is desperate to transform his persona; however, he believes he is unable to alter others’ preconceived notions about his character. As a result, Jack retreats into his imagination to provide a solution to his low self-worth.
When Jack forges his letters of support for prep school, he “believed in it more than [he] believed in the facts arrayed against it” (213). Although Jack is not qualified for prep school, he imagines he is a model student and espouses his invented qualities in his recommendation letters. After he is accepted into Hill, Jack’s imagination proves to be a literal escape from the debilitating atmosphere of Concrete High.
Jack’s characteristic of escaping reality through his imagination is a reoccurring theme in A Boy’s Life which buttresses his purposes of effectively communicating his aspirations with the reader.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Character
At the beginning of the novel, Jack Wolff lives underneath the weight of his the absence of his father and Dwight’s oppressive behavior. However, as he grows older he is able to escape the grasp of these burdens and discover his true self-worth. When Jack was growing up he imagined “good reasons, even romantic reasons, why he had taken no interest, why he had never written to me, why he seemed to have forgotten I existed” (121). From his point of view, Jack believed that it was himself and not his father that was at fault and allowed himself to feel a sense of inadequacy and low self-worth. However, this view changes after Jack’s first child is born. He writes, “…something hard broke in me, and I knew that I was more alive than I had been before” (121). Jack’s love for his son allows him to realize that it was not his own insufficiency that distanced him from his father, but instead his father’s choice. While this brings Jack grief, it also allows him to gain a greater sense of self-worth.
Besides his father’s rejection, Jack is also troubled by Dwight’s tyrannical conduct. Jack describes Dwight’s behavior, “he (Dwight) never let me out of his sight. He stuck close by and acted jovial” (99). Jack’s tone suggests he is annoyed and fearful under Dwight’s constant presence since he knows Dwight’s good humor is merely a pretense and not a true indicator of Dwight’s true oppressive nature. Later in the story, Jack “said things to Dwight [he] never would have said to him before” (231). This is because Jack experiences a change in point of view and refuses to allow Dwight to further manipulate and intimidate him. Although at first Jack lets his father’s absence and Dwight’s domineering nature become a significant burden, he later learns to change this outlook and gains a greater sense of self-worth by not letting outside forces shape him and instead allowing his true character define his life.
Besides his father’s rejection, Jack is also troubled by Dwight’s tyrannical conduct. Jack describes Dwight’s behavior, “he (Dwight) never let me out of his sight. He stuck close by and acted jovial” (99). Jack’s tone suggests he is annoyed and fearful under Dwight’s constant presence since he knows Dwight’s good humor is merely a pretense and not a true indicator of Dwight’s true oppressive nature. Later in the story, Jack “said things to Dwight [he] never would have said to him before” (231). This is because Jack experiences a change in point of view and refuses to allow Dwight to further manipulate and intimidate him. Although at first Jack lets his father’s absence and Dwight’s domineering nature become a significant burden, he later learns to change this outlook and gains a greater sense of self-worth by not letting outside forces shape him and instead allowing his true character define his life.
Rhetorical Strategies
· Imagery “Her square jaw trembled when something moved her, and as she talked her eyes grew brilliant behind her winking rimless glasses” (11).
· Imagery “He had had fussy, aggrieved voice and thin disappointed lips” (149).
· Simile “Again I teased myself by leaving the rifle unloaded, snapping the hammer on air, trying my own patience like a loose tooth” (27).
· Simile “I watched the Thunderbird all the way down the hill to the main road, watched it as a man might watch a woman he’d just met leave his life, taking with her some hope of change that she made him feel” (228).
· Simile/Imagery “Sunlight gleamed on the silver, lit up the ice cubes in our glasses, made the tablecloth bright as a snowfield” (271).
Wolff employs several rhetorical strategies throughout This Boy’s Life to enhance his purpose of clearly narrating his story while captivating his reader. By employing the rhetorical strategy of imagery, Wolff clearly depicts those around him and provides the reader with his personal perspective. This allows the reader to easily picture the other characters while providing insight to Wolff’s opinion of others.
Wolff’s use of simile additionally adds to his writing by allowing the reader to successfully relate to Wolff’s feelings. For example, when Wolff compares his patience to a loose tooth, he effectively communicates the way he teases and tests the extent of his patience. The use of simile also conveys deeper meaning. In his description of his lunch with Mr. Howard, Wolff describes the sun’s illuminating effect on the objects as well as providing a comparison between the tablecloth and a snowfield. The effect of the sunlight parallels Wolff’s enlightenment through his scholarship from Hill as well as suggests the hope and bright future his scholarship offers. Throughout A Boy’s Life, Wolff’s use of rhetorical devices effectively enhances his purpose of comprehensively imparting his story while capably connecting with his reader.
· Imagery “He had had fussy, aggrieved voice and thin disappointed lips” (149).
· Simile “Again I teased myself by leaving the rifle unloaded, snapping the hammer on air, trying my own patience like a loose tooth” (27).
· Simile “I watched the Thunderbird all the way down the hill to the main road, watched it as a man might watch a woman he’d just met leave his life, taking with her some hope of change that she made him feel” (228).
· Simile/Imagery “Sunlight gleamed on the silver, lit up the ice cubes in our glasses, made the tablecloth bright as a snowfield” (271).
Wolff employs several rhetorical strategies throughout This Boy’s Life to enhance his purpose of clearly narrating his story while captivating his reader. By employing the rhetorical strategy of imagery, Wolff clearly depicts those around him and provides the reader with his personal perspective. This allows the reader to easily picture the other characters while providing insight to Wolff’s opinion of others.
Wolff’s use of simile additionally adds to his writing by allowing the reader to successfully relate to Wolff’s feelings. For example, when Wolff compares his patience to a loose tooth, he effectively communicates the way he teases and tests the extent of his patience. The use of simile also conveys deeper meaning. In his description of his lunch with Mr. Howard, Wolff describes the sun’s illuminating effect on the objects as well as providing a comparison between the tablecloth and a snowfield. The effect of the sunlight parallels Wolff’s enlightenment through his scholarship from Hill as well as suggests the hope and bright future his scholarship offers. Throughout A Boy’s Life, Wolff’s use of rhetorical devices effectively enhances his purpose of comprehensively imparting his story while capably connecting with his reader.
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