English Notes
This Boy’s Life Test Review
* TEST TUESDAY 11/10*
Your test will include 15 questions. You will respond to 10.
Identity:
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Jack’s behavior around Arthur vs. “Outlaw” buddies
--tells stories about Barons with Arthur; is profane with outlaws
Jack forges transcripts and letters of recommendations to become a stellar student worthy of
pride and respect.
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Name change from Toby to Jack after Jack London/name change for Hill
sense of adventure
sense of self-reliance
Goes from Toby (doesn’t like this since a girl has this name to Jack (from Jack London) to
Name for Hill –Tobias Jonathan von Ansel Wolff III
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Dwight—courting Rosemary vs. as a father figure
nice guy vs. abusive father figure
acts like an upstanding Boy Scout master but is really an alcoholic and abusive
influences Jack to act more masculine (driving fast, drinking and driving, angry, hears Dwight’s
anger in his voice as a parent, doesn’t want to be a sissy, learns how to fight, gets reprimanded
for watching TV and eating candy)
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Rosemary—moving is a change of identity, sense of possibility, freedom
she becomes a housewife when she marries Dwight—tears her up inside
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Jack receiving the Winchester rifle (page 23)—starts his fantasy life, becomes passionate about
the gun, dresses up in an army uniform, feels powerful, when Sister James comes to the door he
realizes he is a scared boy, not a powerful sniper
Weakness to Power
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Jack in his new clothes (275-276) feels important, significant, a young man of consequence
When he dressed up in the military uniform he pretends he is a solider. He goes to Vietnam
as an adult.
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Chuck --Minister’s son by day/wild man and drunk when trying to please his peers
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Jack as a Boy scout/check cashing scheme (193-194)—juvenile delinquent vs. upstanding citizen
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Jack and Mr. Howard—Mr. Howard sees him as a good boy, Boy Scout, but Jack is a delinquent
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Boys act like men when they are sexually explicit when watching the Mickey Mouse Club
television show
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Jack defining himself against Dwight (134)—times Jack feels like he is becoming Dwight (scene
when he drives Dwight’s car drunk)
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Jack has inflated view of his biological father, Duke—follows in his father’s footsteps, sense of
exaggeration, sense of self-importance
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Arthur tries to pass as straight. In middle school he was true to himself—Jack admired him.
However, in high school he takes on a girlfriend to pass as straight.
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Check forging –faking identity. In the end of the scene Jack is in a Boy Scout uniform, convinces
himself he is a good boy.
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Looking the part of a Hill Student/Lacking Pedigree of a Hill Student--Jack forges his way into
Hill. He gets kicked out because he can’t do the work. He sees himself as a “stage caviler” and
looks the role of Hill Prep Student in the uniform. However, he is unable to keep up with the
academic demands. He can change his outward appearance, but his true self remains.
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Page 217-218 Jack and Arthur were close, there were hard feelings when the closeness ended.
Arthur was trying to be a good member of society, played guitar in a band, decided to strive for
a better life. Arthur even had a girlfriend—Jack considers this a “performance”—Arthur had to
act proper. Having a girlfriend was an act—Arthur was trying to pass as heterosexual. This
seemed strange to Jack. Jack says that he and Arthur needed to pardon themselves for who
they were—they were both acting like other people (Arthur was good; Jack as an outlaw).
“Assuming a
pose” 
Connect to
epigram
What does the book say about identity? People can change their identity based on the situation they
are in. Connect this to the epigram about assuming a pose. Identity is an act, but the act can shape who
you become. Jack is dealing with insecurity and weakness—he takes on powerful identities to escape
his insecurity, instability, and weakness (like the boys who idolize the Nazis—they envy power).
What we show the world may be temporary, but certain aspects of us do not change
This Boy’s Life—masculine identity, how is a boy in the 1950s supposed to act? Consider the
expectations of masculinity and being a man (drinking, smoking, not apologizing, sexual identity).
Position Ideas:
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Jack can change his outer appearance, but his actual self remains the same.
Jack changes his identity to fit each new situation.
Identity is acting a role that may have permanent consequences. (Dressing like a
soldier/becoming one, writing fictional letters to Alice and later becoming a writer.)
Lies/Fiction/Storytelling
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Jack writing to Alice—tall tales about himself—he says he lives on a ranch and has a boat. He
doesn’t stand to gain anything from his lies. He is motivated to lie in order to improve his selfimage.
Dwight lies about the turkey shoot
Jack lies about killing the squirrel.
Jack’s application to Hill is a work of fiction—he writes himself into a new future, new
opportunity, new life.
Dwight—takes Jack’s newspaper money—says he is saving it, but really he is taking it
Jack forges a check, pretends to be an upstanding Boy Scout after
Dwight pretends to be an upstanding Boy Scout leader. He’s really an abusive alcoholic.
Jack’s father, Duke
Dwight pays Rosemary more attention when she looks like she is going to leave.
Jack lies about taking the car.
Jack’s lies to the pawn broker—says his father died
Jack’s first confession to Sister James—he confesses to sins he didn’t commit. He uses the
nun’s stories (sins) rather than his own. His confession is a lie (ironic—he’s lying to confess).
Jack’s letter to his uncle in France is a lie. He exaggerates about how bad his life is.
Jack’s call to his brother exaggerates his problems.
Dwight pretends to uphold positive values, but he doesn’t care about Rosemary
act of the pious dad/reality of his corruption (drinks, violent)
Jack lying about writing “F. U.”
Jack’s image for his mom. He changes his hair into a hoodlum style when he leaves the house.
He pretends to be a good boy in front of her, but really skips school.
Jack is not true to his friendship with Arthur. He has to pretend that he isn’t friends with him in
front of the other kids.
Position Ideas:
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People will like to create an image of themselves that they would like others to see and in
order to see themselves.
People lie to protect their image.
People lie in order to get what they want.
Lies often lead to more lies.
Lies can achieve a reasonable degree of success but the truth eventually comes out.
Moral Corruption:
*Some of the ideas you have under Lies/Fiction/Storytelling can be used for Moral Corruption as well.
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Jack breaks into Dwight’s house and steals his guns to pawn.
Men (Gil and Roy) attempt to take advantage of Rosemary. They offer Jack a bike.
Dwight encouraging Jack to fight *on the test you will be asked about Dwight’s influence on
Jack
Stealing gas from the Welch Farm.
Alcohol Abuse—shows corruption of the adult world. Both Dwight and Chuck abuse alcohol.
Jack feels awful when he “becomes” Dwight—driving car, as an adult Tobias yelling at his own
children he feels like Dwight’s anger is inside of him
Jack’s dad’s friend takes advantage of Jack when he visits California.
Jack’s first meeting with Mr. Howard—based on lies
Jack witnessing abusive men—Dwight, Roy
Dwight sells the Winchester, steals Jack’s money—in return, Jack steals Dwight’s things (car,
rifles, hunting gear)
Joy riding Dwight’s car
Jack’s peer influences - Terry & Terry
 Chick, Psycho, Huff
 Boys influence him to smoke, drink, vandalize, use foul language, have a bad attitude, shape
his attitude toward sex, make him act in a reckless manner, he forges his grades, the Hill
application (214), a check (page 193-199)
Position: “He who fears corruption fears life.” –epigram
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Moral corruption is everywhere. Encountering corruption is inevitable; it depends on how you
react to it. Although Jack acts recklessly, he doesn’t abuse women. He doesn’t give in to all the
sources of corruption he was exposed to as a child.
Gender Roles:
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Rosemary marries Dwight in order to provide a typical family for Jack. There is no reason for her
to marry Dwight—she has a place to stay in Seattle and a job. However, because Jack is getting
into trouble, she marries Dwight to provide Jack with a male role model.
Dwight loses to Rosemary at the Turkey Shoot. He blames his loss on his gun malfunctioning.
Arthur feels the need to have a girlfriend to walk the halls with at high school. This would be the
gender expectation for the time. He wants to establish himself as straight.
Norma marries Kenneth. Kenneth has an income. Bobby Crow, however, had nothing going for
him. She marries for stability instead of love.
Treatment of Arthur as “sissy” (Remember, even Jack fears being called “sissy” by Dwight.)
Jack doesn’t apologize to the Welches—to apologize means to admit that you have feelings. It is
perceived as unmanly to apologize.—betrayal of his manhood.
Rosemary is passive and submits to Dwight in order to keep peace in the home. (Connect this to
how she was raised.)
Female passivity—Rosemary, Norma
Jack’s father gives Jack advice to kill Dwight
Dwight’s advice throughout the novel is to fight in a ruthless way. The only positive attention
Dwight gives Jack is when he hurts someone else.
Position:
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People curtail their individuality to fit accepted gender roles.
American Dream:
Rosemary goes from Utah for uranium and Seattle for work—traveling to find opportunity.
Rosemary wants a better life for Jack—traditional family, house (dreams of a better house—
possibility of making the run down house better)
Jack’s dream to go to Hill
Boy Scout ideals of self-reliance  connects to Jack London idea of man in the wilderness of
Alaska
Norma’s dream falls through—she doesn’t obtain a happy marital life, she doesn’t go to college
but gets married instead.
Rosemary and Jack seeking out a better fortune, a better place to live.
Family Christmas Special—idealized family Christmas vs. Dwight and mold covered chestnuts
Jack wants the family to get back together
Freedom--At the end of the book they are back to the beginning, back to finding freedom again
from leaving Dwight/at Hill
Joining the military –Jack dreams/pretends to be a soldier, becomes one as an adult in Vietnam
Position:
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The dream presents itself as a set of ideas that are seldom achieved.
Tyranny/Abuse of Power:
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Dwight’s dominance of Rosemary and Jack
Jack kills the squirrel with his rifle and lies about it
Dwight beats Jack after he took the car—physical brutality
Roy stalks Rosemary, abuses his power in the military to find Rosemary
Dwight not buying Jack shoes
Dwight steals money from Rosemary and Jack
Rosemary’s dad—abusive and would hit her every day after school because he believed she
must have done something wrong, strict and controlled the way she dressed---as a result,
Rosemary ends up with Roy and Dwight
Kenneth (Norma’s husband)—uses rough language, kisses her roughly in public
Dwight’s influence on Jack
Dwight not allowing Jack to see his mom (page 99)
Jack lies to his mom, manipulates her to get him things—connect to first scene in the book with
the truck crash—he uses the crash and an opportunity to make his mom give him things
Jack beats the dog, Champion
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Position: Male code of behavior—communicate power through violence than through words
Dwight holds a knife to Rosemary’s neck, Roy follows Rosemary out of insecurity and fear
Insecurity leads to an abuse of power
Fear leads to an abuse of power—leads a push toward control—creates abuse
Cycle of abuse for Norma, Rosemary—they are abused and end up with men who abuse them.
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