Composition Essay on “Powder”

Introduction

The short story “Powder”, written by Tobias Wolff highlights the themes of the story as being about the relationship between a father and son. The author discusses that how the relationship between a man and a boy can become confused and maintains that the adult is not always who it seems in a relationship.

The narrator of this short story is one of the best-known authors that have depicted relationships in their stories in a very meaningful way.

Thesis Statement

In this short story, we will explore that whether the relationship between two people makes a person more responsible than the other, regardless of age. The basic idea about this story was that narrator wanted to show that how people learn about themselves through their relationships with others. Also, the narrator has depicted it in a very good manner that has presented a meaningful message for all people in relationships.

Discussion

"Powder," by Tobias Wolff, is about a man recalling his memory of a ski trip taken with his father, at a time when his parents were on the verge of divorce. He recounts the day with vivid detail, telling us the reasons why his parents' divorce was imminent, but also how much he loves his father despite his faults.

The narrator continuously conveyed a feeling of tension in the story. As first, he was worried about being late for Christmas Eve dinner; however, he was worried about their physical well-being. In addition, the father was warning his son to stop his tensed behavior that was creating problem for the father, as well. Finally, the boy tried to trust his father and enjoyed their journey to home. The father says, “If you have not driven fresh powder, you have not driven.”

As with all other stories, written by Wolff, signposts of “craft” are not readily extracted from this piece. Wolfs has followed a traditional path in the story that he created an empathetic protagonist, and he gave that character a definite goal; a problem arose from a character trait; the protagonists suffered a setback; they overcame the setback and the main protagonist was grown, or at least learned something. He got to the point quickly without ever making the reader feel rushed. There was even time left at the end for a little protagonist reflection.

The characteristics of the father through the eyes of the son, as depicted by the narrator, ...