Response To "Powder"

In the first two paragraphs of the text, the narrator probably did not think much of his father as a role model. He was irresponsible and indifferent to people’s opinions and worries other than himself. For example, in the first paragraph the father snuck in his underage son “into a nightclub during [their] last visit” (Powder 17). Apparently from what the narrator had said, it seems that the mother and father have separated and the son is currently residing with the mother. The irresponsible behavior of the father may have been a factor to the separation of the family. Second, “he was indifferent to my fretting” (Powder 17) as it started snowing at the peak and decided to stay a while longer. In the second paragraph the father insisted that the two of them should continue to go skiing when they should have been going home. The father made a promise to the mother to have their son home for Christmas Eve dinner if they went skiing.

The narrator’s opinion of the father begins to change in the middle of the text when the father said “I’ll tell you what I want. I want us to be together again. Is that what you want?” (Powder 18). While being stuck near the ski resort, the father realized that he may not have another chance to be with his son if they do not come home in time for dinner on Christmas Eve. He resorted to methods that were deceiving and irresponsible to go home. After waiting for the officer to leave his post, the father and son went through the barricade. The father may be irresponsible and selfish with his son but it can be overlooked by the fact that he loves his son and only wants to spend time with him. As the father was driving home from the peak he started to act like a responsible father figure, he commented and gave advice to his son. At first the narrator felt skeptical but began to believe in his fathers words because they were true.