Essays on Tobias Wolff

The Night In Question

Tobias Wolff ‘The Night in Question’ is one of a collection of fifteen short stories by Tobias Wolff published in 1996 by the same name. The story gives us an insight into human desires and its varied exhibitions in different situations. Wolff is an American fiction writer, who hated cruelty and violent behavior. This attitude was due to the violent behavior of his alcoholic stepfather who infused extreme physical and emotional strain in Wolff’s life. This aspect may be seen in ‘The Night in Question’ in which the author attempts to stress on family ties, loyalty, love, affection ...

Bullet in the Brain is a short story written by Tobias Wolff and it is about a man, whose name is Anders, and his attitude towards life. The story is set in a bank and he cannot help but be ironic and make fun of other people’s statements. Anders behaves in such a way that people do not understand his sense of humor and this costs him his life at the end of the story. Anders is at the bank, which is crowded, waiting in line for his turn and he is using his time to reflect on ...

Different works of art reflect various events that occur in real life. Works of literature either explain or provide responses to real life situations with the addition of a fictional twist. Literature works explore different real life themes, which allows readers to identify with the different characters. Tobias Wolff’s story titled “Bullet in the Brain” explains the last memory of Anders, a man who has lived his life being critical of others (Wolff). The story also explains the circumstances leading to Anders’ death as well as how his life had changed from when he was younger. The short ...

The short stories, Two Kinds by Amy Tan and Powder by Tobias Wolff, seem to be autobiographical accounts of their childhood memories—Tan of her strict mother and Wolff of his estranged father. While the stories may contain some true elements from their youth, these stories are still fiction and seem to contain a lot of wishful thinking on the part of the authors, a wish that somehow things could have been better. As an adult, one can view his or her childhood past in better—and perhaps more grateful—perspective. On cannot be who he or she is without his ...