English Notes
October 6, 2015
This Boy’s Life
Pages 57-60 Recap
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Jack and his mom look at a new house in West Seattle
“The price was right, next to nothing, and she believed in possibilities, a word used often by the
man who showed it to her.”
They look at the house at night—hard to see—house was originally scheduled with demolition
Mother is very positive—helps others picture the house as if repairs have been done
Rosemary’s father, referred to as Daddy, disciplined her harshly. He used a rod and slapped her
in a crib for sucking her thumb. She got spanked every single day due the possibility that she
may have done something wrong. She then had to kiss her father and thank him for the
spanking.
Consider why Jack’s mother doesn’t discipline Jack. She can’t slap Jack. She believes Jack will
grow out of his misbehavior. (She’s optimistic—he’s not a good boy.)
Rosemary’s father made her wear bloomers, would have her smoke so she wouldn’t eat much,
and he “went beserk” when boys called out to her.
Rosemary winds up with Roy—abusive like her father.
English Notes
This Boy’s Life pages 45-60
Reminders for taking Notes—include page numbers, characterization, settings, major events, questions
Themes:
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lying/fiction/imagination
finding oneself/search for identity
power, fear of power, loss of innocence
1.
Why do the boys egg the guy in the Thunderbird? The boys want to be cool, they slick back
their hair and smoke cigarettes. They know deep down that they are uncool. The man in the
Thunderbird has style, money, romantic prospects, attractivenesshe is everything they are not.
They are coming from a place of insecurity and anger.
2. Why does Wolff end this section with the action on the top of 47?
Silver yells “yid” (derogatory term for Jews). It seems like a hate crime. Remember, Silver wears
the Nazi uniform when the boys play war. He wants to identify with destruction and power.
3.
On pages 48-53 how are the two men characterized? What does Jack/Rosemary think of
them initially?
Two men have a plan to get mom by alluring Jack with a bologna sandwich. They also attempt
to entice him with a bike. The turning point—they become skeptical of the men and then trust
them due to the bike. The mom can’t afford a bike and the boy wants one—it solves their
problem. The scene ends with his mom crying and no bike.
4.
Rosemary’s view of the house: she thinks it has potential even though it was condemned by
the city. Rosemary has an optimistic view of the world. She transforms the home into something
more positive. It is a survival skill of hers to make bad situations into positive ones.
5. Rosemary’s upbringing: Rosemary’s father was a disciplinarian and used a rod to beat her. Her
dad slapped her for sucking her thumb and walking with her toes pointed in. She was hit at night
because her father assumed that she did something wrong during the day. Her father would beat
her after dinner. After the beating she would have to thank her father for the meal. This shapes
her conflicts with men and her inability to discipline her child.
Jack—identifies himself as a hoodlum out in the world (breaking car windows, throwing eggs at
cars, setting bags of feces on fire, stealing), but a caring son at home.