Father_Son_Relationship_in_Powder_by_Tobias_Wolff

Ryan Hailey Jaxon Father/Son Relationship While Tobias Wolff creates an uptight character for the son in his short story “Powder,” he contrasts him by making the dad more laid back to bring attention to the son’s growth. In the beginning, the son is very stressed out as he explains, “But as we were checking out of the lodge that morning it began to snow, and in this snow he observed some rare quality that made it necessary for us to get in one last run. We got in several last runs. He was indifferent to my fretting”(Wolff 1). This shows that the dad is more laid back, and spends his time doing things he enjoys, like skiing, because he can tell when it is snowing good snow. The son, on the other hand, instead of having fun skiing, he is just worrying the whole time. Additionally, the boy is a thinker and he is always prepared and organized, “I always thought ahead. I was a boy who kept his clothes on numbered hangers to insure proper rotation. I bothered my teachers for homework assignments far ahead of their due dates so I could draw up schedules. I thought ahead, and that was why I knew that there would be other troopers waiting for us at the end of our ride, if we even got there. What I did not know was that my father would wheedle and plead his way past them” (Wolff 3). This shows that the boy is uptight about things and is very organized, while the dad does not follow the directions and is more relaxed. If the kid was more calm and relaxed like his father he could maybe have a better relationship with him. Towards the end, the son starts to calm down, “I knew we’d get caught; I was resigned to it. And maybe for this reason I stopped moping and began to enjoy myself” (Wolff 3). This quote shows that the kid finally changes from being boring and begins to enjoy himself. This also shows that the boy trusts his dad. The kid takes a big step from not being a fun/risk taking person to finally starting to enjoy himself and the time he has with his dad.