No one is perfect, They all have their own way of living, thinking and just simply being themselves. It is definite that it can sometimes create conflict with others. People don’t always see things from the same perspectives. Some people may be very creative and others may be more unimaginative, yet that‘s who they are. One of the most important things that make everyone unique is their personalities. The short story “Powder” by Tobias Wolff, is based on the journey to accepting people for their personality differences along with a bond between father- son relationships and also the effects a parent separation can influence a child’s behavior and their relationships with others. The author demonstrates the theme based on the character traits of the son, the father and their acceptance, To begin with, In “Powder” by Tobias Wolff, the author begins to give us an insight into the father.
It starts off when the narrator explains a flashback about his father: “Just before Christmas my father took me skiing at Mount Baker. He’d had to fight for the privilege of my company. because my mother was still angry with him for sneaking me into a nightclub during his last visit, to see Thelonious Monk.” In the quote, readers can infer that the father wants to have a good time with his son however can be reckless as he sneaked out his son to a nightclub. Throughout the story, the father shows more of his personality as a bold, fearless, and adventurous man. The author proves this as he demonstrated that the narrator states, The barricade vanished. Then there was nothing but snow then I faced forward and had a sock, There were no tracks ahead of us. My father was breaking virgin snow between tall treelines…” The quote illustrates the father being fearless by taking a risk when he entered a police-closed path knowing that he could get in trouble if he had been caught.
The father also shows him being bold through his action of driving through snow that is about 5-6 inches with no tracks being visible to them which is can be a higher risk of an accident. On the contrary. although the father is seen as reckless, bold and fearless. his son, who is also the narrator appears to be the opposite of his father. The son is more of an introven, controlling, and a young boy who always thinks ahead. In “Powder” the son is on a skiing trip with his father and right before they head home, his father insisted on one last run down the ski mountainI for most people, it would be fun and amazing to be outdoors and enjoying the activity however for the son he did not look as if he was having fun. After going for one last run, the son had mentioned how much he would rather be home: “while I swayed from foot to foot wishing I was home. I could see everything. The green tablecloth. the plates with the holly pattern, the red candles waiting to be lit.”
The quote claims that the son isn‘t very adventurous or outgoing, When it comes to Christmas he doesn’t exactly want to be on a ski mountain but would love to be at home where all the Christmas decorations are up and the table is set up for dinner. Once they were on the road back home. It is recognized that the son is organized, responsible and always thinks ahead. He had admitted to this by declaring that: “True. I always thought ahead. I was a boy who kept his clothes on numbered hangers. l bothered my teachers for homework assignments far ahead of their due dates so I could draw up schedules…” From this quote, it is observed that the son doesn‘t like procrastinating and likes to get stuff done on time. Also, he appears to dislike being unorganized since he keeps his clothes neat. Lastly. in “Powder”, the author expresses how the characters begin to realize that they cannot change each other and instead respect each other.
When the father and son are finally driving back home they start to bond when the topic of “strong points” comes up. As they have the conversation, the son asks his dad, “Okay, then. What are my strong points?” his dad replied by saying that he “always thinks ahead.” As they continued with their conversation and their drive home, the son began to see his father from a different perspective. The son had stated: “My father was driving. My father in his forty-eighth year, rumpled, kind, bankrupt of honor, flushed with certainty. He was a great driver… I actually trusted him. And the best was yet to comstitchbacks and hairpins impossible to describe. Except maybe to say this: if you haven‘t driven fresh powder, you haven’t driven.”Throughout this quote, the son is describing his father’s skills in driving but is also shows that he has come to a result in accepting the fact that his father is outgoing, adventurous, and sometimes reckless.
Also that his father was good enough just the way he is and started to develop trust and respect. With everything he had gone through with his father, this had given the son the thought that “I knew we’d get caught; I was resigned to it. And maybe, for this reason, I stopped moping and began to enjoy myself.” this quote demonstrates a sign that represents when the son started to be less uptight and had begun to live in the moment he was sharing with his father. In summary, in the short story “Powder” by Tobias Wolff, he identified personality differences between the father and son by showing how they are recognizing each other’s personality traits and accepting them during the story rather than judging it and attempting to change it.
Also, the bond that got stronger between them after a small Christmas Eve trip where it possibly influenced the son’s perspective in a more positive way. Additionally, the author has done a good job of illustrating a picture of current “broken homes“ situations where children who are dealing with separation between parents can feel very confused and be difficult for the child. With that said, everyone has something special or different about their personalities that identifies them but others may not be so fond of, even then complaining about the way someone else is or lives, will not change them. It is just better to realize the positive traits of a person and accept that that’s who they are and that they shouldn’t feel ashamed for living life to the fullest.
