This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff

Kevin writes:
                                                   
I am reading a memoir by Tobias Wolff titled This Boy's Life. The novel summary is very similar to my about the author post since it is about Tobias Wolff's childhood. So far in my novel, young Toby and his mother  drove to Salt Lake City in order to get rich off of the mining of Uranium. His mother is back with his abusive stepfather who continually follows Toby's mother around due to suspicion that she is having an affair.  Besides this, Toby changes his name to Jack so that he can completely detach himself from his father who did not do anything for him or his mother by getting rid of the name that he gave him. Changing his name gives Jack a sense of starting a new life that he is proud of. Jack fantasizes about a great life that he could only dream of having. He writes to a pen pall in Phoenix and lies about what his life is really like. He tells about his life that he dreams of having but not his real life. After this, Jack's stepfather Roy gives him a .22 rifle. Jack is not supposed to take it out unsupervised but only does it to clean it. After cleaning it got boring, Jack started loading it and aiming at people in the street. One day, the power overwhelmed him and he shot a squirrel. Shooting a squirrel might not be as bad as shooting a person, but Jack is an animal love. This shows that the rifle gives Jack the power and control that he doesn't have in his life and sometimes the power is overwhelming and his actions do not coincide with what he is thinking. This appears again in another chapter when Roy asks Jack what he thinks about having a baby brother. Even though Jack hates the idea. his action speak for him again and he tells Roy a new brother would be fun. I have a feeling that Jack's feeling of being in control when his rifle is in his hands will get him in serious trouble.