Hey, I'm doing This Boy's Life as well, this is really good
My teacher said if you're referring to Wolff as the author, to say Wolff not Tobias, because it makes it clearer if you want to also discuss the difference between Toby/Jack.
You've discussed all the main ideas well - the difference between the author and the narrator, society's idea of masculinity, reality and illusion...
I'm pretty sure that lots of references to the passages are important and you've done that too
Maybe just read over like sentence structure and fix it up. In saying that, my writing in an hour tends to not make 100% sense either
You should get your teacher to mark it out of 20 like the actual exam, see if she's soft or realistic compared to what that would give you in the exam.
Anyways, hope that was helpful...
This is an essay i wrote in an hour under exam conditions, typed up, not changed, could you give suggestions too?
The memoir, ‘This Boy’s Life’ chronicles the ‘desire’ Jack feels to assume a façade, but also how the ‘bare’ truth seeps through, no matter how many ‘coats’ are applied in an attempt to ‘conceal’ reality. The numerous influences on Jack’s formation of identity are alluded to in these passages; his strong bond with his mother is only threatened by male domination; and Dwight’s negative influence of drinking is demonstrated as Jack and Chuck ‘drunk from the bottle.’ The combination of these external factors is illustrated in the final image of in the memoir, which mirrors the beginning, with Jack and Chuck’s singing extolling the idea that our past influences ultimately define our current definition of self, not the painted on veneer of an alternate identity.
The meticulous actions of Dwight in the second passage reflect Jack’s own attempt at carefully constructing an identity that will cover up the inner Toby. The tree is not splashed with paint ‘here and there’ but is instead drowned in white, indicating how an assumed pretence has multiple layers of deceit. However, no matter how thick the attempted façade, like the needles that ‘turned faintly blue’, the truth comes through often in a distorted form. Because the semblance of strength takes so much effort to upkeep, when this fails, the tree is left ‘half bare’ a reduced form of its previous health. Similarly, Jack begins to waste away beneath what he believes is society’s ideal of masculinity, oppressed by the pressure of maintaining the falsity of his constructed identity. This contrasts with how he acts when it is only he and his mother, his attempt to ‘conceal [his] disappointment’ are immediately ‘[seen]’ by his mother, and his façade is quickly dispelled. However, with the overbearing influence of Dwight, Jack’s ‘hold’ on his true identity is lost beneath the expectation of perfection and masculinity that Dwight imposes. The ‘white’ paint with which Dwight covers not only the tree, but the whole house, even the ivory keys on the piano, symbolises his search for purity in the façade that is ultimately unattainable. The act of pandering to society’s expectations leaves the characters ‘restless and grim’ and it is only when these outside influences are ‘turned off’ like the radio, that one’s true spirit can be revealed, and it is possible to ‘[sing] for all we [are] worth.’
The influence of parental figures in childhood is seen to be an important contributing factor in Jack’s formation of identity. Like the ‘road that took the snaky shape of the river,’ Jack is not impervious to the influences that define him. There is deceit in his relationship with his mother, as Jack deliberately takes advantage of her vulnerable state after they witness a truck crashing, and also in the first passage when Rosemary claims that the Phoenix bus ‘had left already’ so that instead they would have to go to Seattle. Despite this, the inherently optimistic nature of Rosemary, ‘smiling’ to strangers and ‘laughing’ at their own situation, in turn informs Jack’s own optimisim that ‘in this world nothing was impossible that [he] could imagine for [himself].’ The ‘trap’ of these external influences, Dwight, the poverty of the Welshes, and Rosemary’s acquiescence, is not ‘escaped’ as easily as Jack hopes. He relies on ‘imagin[ing]’ in order to create a reality that ignores the influence of Dwight and the unfortunate circumstances that he has been burdened with, instead holding onto the belief that his ‘right’ to go to a ‘noble school’ could not be ignored. Jack’s ‘strong’ voice in singing hymns represents his growth from the boy who ‘croaked’ in the opening of the memoir, while ultimately recognising the similarities between his past and present self, and how despite his best effort to craft a completely new identity, it is his true self that is apparent in this final scene.
The hope for the future that infuses the last passage is somewhat diminished by the penultimate scene, where Wolff reveals how he got kicked out of school. The hope in this final passage links back to the initial hope of Rosemary in the first scene but this time the reader is aware that this hope does not come true. The times when Rosemary and Jack have the most optimism for their lives are when they are without the external influence of other men. As the cab driver ‘drove away,’ Rosemary ‘broke out laughing,’ the ability to escape unwanted male influence leaving her happy and hopeful. It is in their escaping that Rosemary, and through her influence, Jack, are able to forget the past and instead look to the future. Although the final scene of the memoir is tainted by the reader’s knowledge of forthcoming events, it can be seen that the pretence of a veneer that is imposed by Dwight and society can be ‘turned off’ and that one’s true nature will always shine through, regardless of the layers of façade.