Literary Analysis

Xiangyu Lin

Writing 101-801

Section 7 Literary Analysis-Powder by Tobias Wolff.

Tobias Wolff’s “Powder” is a fiction story which was written in 1996.It is about an irrefutable relationship between father and son. It took place on a ski trip around Christmas time, but they ended up stuck in the snow storm. The boy’s parents were on the verge of divorce at that time. The father knew how important it was to get home on time for Christmas Eve dinner or the boy’s mother would never forgive him, so he decided to take a risk to drive home even though the police had closed the mountain road they needed to travel over. The bond and relationship between father and son are heartwarming; the story tells us how much the boy loves his father regardless of his faults.

The story was simple and easy to follow. Much of the plot and character development is relatable without a lot of heavy motifs or symbols. The relatively ambiguous setting and characters without names make the events and emotions easy to imagine. The boy is driven by this need to get home to his mother by dinner on Christmas Eve, whether for his peace of mind or her own. He is cautious and thinks things through thoroughly; he is wary of breaking rules, despite the potentially positive consequences. He is concerned with getting caught and fearful of getting in trouble by the authorities he is sure are waiting for the vehicle. He briefly appears unsure of his own strengths and displays some waning in his self-esteem. The boy stands in stark contrast to his father. His father is able to convince the boy's mother to let him take his son skiing before Christmas with the promise that the boy would be present for Christmas Eve dinner. He seems protective as he lets the boy stay close when the ski trails are hard to follow. His primary characteristic, however, is arrogance and he displays an abundance of self-assuredness. He is more than willing to use his son to take down the barrier on the road before reminding his...