Powder Short Story Analysis

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In the short story “Powder” by Tobias Wolff the author writes a story about a father and a son with a troubled relationship as they try to go home on Christmas eve. During this time period it is about the 1920’s around the time of the Great Depression. When the stock market crashed it affected the father, the son and this story.The obvious conflict is between the mother and the father because the son has been brought home late by the father and has been given one last chance to take his son out and bring him home on time. This paper will discuss how the word usage throughout the story helps us to determine that the conflict is growing and beginning to reach its peak. The father had been given a second chance and makes a choice to take advantage of his chance and make his son late yet again.

The mother had lost all trust in the father when he brought his son home late one night because they had been at a nightclub. The father had brought the son to see Thelonious Monk. Which was a band that was popular in this time period. The father was just simply trying to introduce his child to good music and give him a great opportunity. However this was not a good enough excuse for the child 's mother. She barely gives him another chance on Christmas eve to take his son out skiing. The son said,” He’d have to fight for the privilege of my company…” This quotes explains how close the father was to jeopardizing his chances of spending time with his son as it is. Now the skiing trip

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