Essay Questions

How does the character of Philip parallel the life of Tobias Wolff himself?

This novel is particularly personal for Wolff because of several autobiographical elements he wrote into the character of Philip. For example, Philip's parents separated before he left home, as did Wolff's own parents. Both Philip and Wolff trained to be paratroopers for the U.S. Army, and they both served in that capacity during the Vietnam War. In that sense, Philip's life is a parallel of Wolff's own, and the scenes in the barracks suddenly appear much more realistic. This element of personal touch brings a sense of authenticity to the novel, one that makes it much more compelling.

How is the scene with Guy Bishop and the folding bicycle a metaphor for his own life?

Guy Bishop is a man with a profound inner restlessness, and he often leaves parts of his life behind in a search for greener pastures. One such example of this trend is his abandonment of his family (his wife and his two sons, Philip and Keith), where he left the house to go live with another woman. This betrayal left significant impacts on his sons' lives: Philip began to hate his father and detach from his emotions, and Keith never stopped grieving, allowing his sadness to turn him down a path of substance abuse and the shirking of responsibilities. Guy doesn't actually stay with this new woman, either; he moves on again and again, never fully satisfied.

When Philip comes to confront him about his appearance at the family house, Guy invites him inside and tries to give him a gift: a folding bicycle. With this bicycle, Guy explains, Philip will always have a method of transportation with him at all times which he can use to travel wherever he likes. This sense of complete mobility aptly characterizes Guy's own life, so it makes sense that he would consider this a meaningful gift. However, as he demonstrates how the bicycle works, he gets hopelessly tangled up in it, lying helplessly on the floor. This disaster is a metaphor for the tangle he has made of his life by engaging in this kind of mobile, loyalty-free life.