The Civil War

Being a typical and traditional father has always been the role of every father. Every traditional father has a different attitude towards his son, they want their son to see life the rough way, be responsible, and have a very typical attitude towards life.

In the story "Powder" written by Tobias Wolff the fathers thoughts are not traditional and typical, like most fathers. The father in the story wants his son to experience life in a different way. He wants the son to live the life that he chooses, instead of living a forced or a conditioned life.

The story reveals the conflict between the father and son relation where the father is trying to expose his son to reality and freedom. The mother has a conflict with the father because of his leniency and the carefree attitude towards her son. The father always pushes his limits for him and his son to have a good time whenever they are together. Before they left home to go skiing a day before Christmas dinner, the father promised to bring the son home for the Christmas dinner. Once they started skiing the father loved his sons company and he was having a great time looking at his son enjoying himself skiing. The father was not thinking or even worried about getting home for Christmas dinner because he was happy at that moment for himself and his son. It was snowing before getting into the last run the father knew he could run out of time, but he didn't care and did what he was enjoying. Saying that he wanted to go for the last run he ended up going for a several runs, not thinking about his responsibility and the promise made to his wife. The son's worry didn't stop him from doing what he was enjoying because he didn't know when he would enjoy something like skiing with his son again. The father wanted to give an exposure of adult life to his son at a very early age so that he could learn things and experiences his youth with his father or by himself. Sneaking his son into the nightclub not thinking about the after consequences, or what would the people think of him as a father. He anyways took his son because he wanted to see his favorite pianist Thelonius Monk. Exposing his son to the world at a very early age was his mom's worry, because she was really concerned about her son's future. That is why she had a conflict with her son's father.

The son was really worried while his father was making the last runs because he was worried about not making it on time and facing his mother after he missed the Christmas dinner. But the father told him not to worry and, everything would be all right and just enjoy what he was doing. When the son got serious and started worrying about getting home,