The idea that that we someone gain insight into the life of Tobias Wolff through the book is mistaken. Instead the only sense of the writer is revealed in the front-matter of the text, where in an act of almost self mutilation Wolf reveals the potential faults that infect the memoir that follows it. This socratic is exactly why this is not a book is not a reflection of Wolff or an ‘insight’ into his life, its about Jack— a boy from concrete. The subtle admission to doubt in ones own memory is what makes This Boys Life such an alluring portrayal. Wolff himself reasons this as the role of a memoir, stating ‘memory has its own story to tell’. This blatant honesty breeds a false sense of trust between the reader and Wolff. I can recall a story of my friend who informed his girlfriend that he cheated on her, this resulted in her trusting him more due to his unabashed admission of guilt. Similarly, Wolff’s admission to guilt subsequently results our trusting of Jack and his ability to easily persuade our view of his antagonists with such unquestionable accord. …show more content…
The text dances around feelings of injustice and the cruelty that is so often the life of an underdog, yet the story is no Oliver Twist, and it never tries to be. Our sympathy for Jack remains mostly an act of cultural conditioning. There never appears a sense of self-pity, no prescribed sense of hope, instead Wolff elicits an almost bystanders effect on the reader where we become passive