Powder

Some say there is nothing stronger than a bond between a father and his son. The trying and heartwarming relationship between the father and his son is shown in the story “Powder” by Tobias Wolff. There are many differences and similarities between the father and his son, maybe a few more differences than similarities but that doesn’t stop them from spending time with each other. To begin with, throughout the story the reader makes it clear the differences between the two characters. First off, the father has more of a rebellious, outgoing personality whereas the son likes to play more by the rules and stays more reserved. You see this not only in the second sentence where it talks about the father sneaking his son into the club but also when the father calls the state trooper to send him in the opposite direction so they could drive on the icy unforbidden road to get his son home for christmas dinner. You would think that all teenage boys would love a father who is willing to break the rules, but from the story it seems like this kind of actions from his father makes him more uncomfortable because it upsets his mom. Also the father was more of a risk taker where his son looked ahead and thought things out more. You can see this in the conversation in the car when the son talks about his success in school and always getting his home work while his dad is taking a risk driving on the closed road. Even though there are major differences, the father and son do have some similarities. They both seem to care a lot about their families and their relationship together. Throughout the short story you see the wild and crazy actions of the father but if you read deeper you see he is only doing this to get his son home in time so his mother will continue to let him see his son. You can even tell the son cares about the relationship with his father because he’s doing things outside his comfort zone such as going on a ski trip and trusting his father to drive on the