This Boys Life: Chapter/Character/Theme Summaries Flashcards
What is the significance of the chapter title Fortune?
. Toby and Rosemary are seeking good fortune at the moment because it appears that they haven’t been experiencing it recently “we were going to change our luck”.
. They are optimistic, even though they don’t have a home at the moment they are determined to change their lives “I was caught up in my mother’s freedom, her delight in her freedom, her dream of transformation”.
. Utah presented good opportunities to “get rich on uranium” so they decided that Utah was the place to go.
. On their way they witness a truck going over a cliff which foreshadows a fall for them too.
. This is indeed true as they are tracked down by the controlling and manipulative Roy (the man they originally fled from).
. By the end of the chapter Rosemary and Toby escape him with the still existent hope that they will find good fortune (success, wealth and happiness).
What happens in Fortune (part 1)?
. Toby and his mother Rosemary are introduced
. A truck goes over a cliff whilst they were driving from Florida to Utah in their decrepit car (to get rich on uranium)
. Rosemary may want her old life back (Wolff mentions Rosemary’s past)
. When they get to Utah they’re told that they’re too late
. After having a girl in his class named Toby in Florida he wants to change his name to Jack (after Jack London)
. Rosemary allows this on the condition that he attends catechism classes
. Sister James did not like the idea of kids from catechism classes running free after school, so she arranged after school activities for everyone to join
. Toby decides to participate in archery, however him and the other boys take it too far by shooting at cats and then each other
. Sister James catches Toby misbehaving, which makes him feel immense guilt
List the order of the chapters.
. Fortune . Uncool . A Whole New Deal . Citizenship of the Home . Citizenship of the School . Amen Corner . Amen
What happens in Fortune (part 2)?
. Toby has a pen pall (Alice - from Phoenix)
. Roy tracked Toby and his mother down to Salt Lake
. Toby had to make a confession to prepare himself for communion (decided to use the examples Sister James told him)
. Roy follows Rosemary as she walks home from work (he is suspicious of what she does)
. Roy gives Toby a gun and Toby shoots it even though he’s not meant to (he feels powerful with it)
. He kills a squirrel and feels awful
. Roy asks if Toby wouldn’t mind a littler brother
. Rosemary and Toby leave Salt Lake
What is the significance of the chapter title Uncool?
. Toby as well his new friends Terry Taylor and Terry Silver really wanted to be considered cool.
. They tried so hard to be noticed and even tried to look cool “We wore our hair long at the side, swept back into a ducktail”.
. They didn’t want to be seen as ‘uncool’ and were also quite envious of those who were considered cool, which is seen when they pelt a mans car with eggs, “He had everything that we didn’t have”.
. Although the boys tried hard they felt liked they have been claimed by un-coolness, “coolness claimed its own out of some mysterious impulse of recognition. Un-coolness did likewise. We had been claimed by un-coolness.”
. They then began trying to act ‘cool’ by becoming liars, thieves and damagers of property in an attempt to stop feeling “Colourless and mild”.
What happens in Uncool (part 1)?
. Toby and his mother now live in a boardinghouse in West Seattle (we meet Marian and Kathy)
. We meet Toby’s new friends Silver and Taylor (they cause trouble together)
. We see innocence and immaturity when the boys watch The Mickey Mouse Club
. Toby’s acting differently with his new friends (eggs cars)
. Rosemary and Toby meet Gil and Judd at a mock naval battle at Alkai Point
. Rosemary goes on a date with Gil and comes home crying
. Marian, Kathy and Rosemary decide to rent a house together
. Kathy had her baby and we learn that Marian doesn’t trust Toby
. We learn more about Rosemary’s past
. Windows were broken, however Toby and his friends were not questioned (seen as “colourless and mild”)
. Marian and Kathy are now engaged so Marian starts presenting different suitors to Rosemary so she can become engaged
. Dwight seemed to be the “chief among the suitors”
What happens in Uncool (part 2)?
. Rosemary and Toby go to Dwight’s home for Thanksgiving (meet Pearl, Skipper and Norma)
. Rosemary wins the turkey shoot competition (I think Dwight’s masculinity feels challenged)
. Toby scratches inappropriate words in the bathroom and school but says he didn’t do it (he gets away with it)
. Rosemary tells Toby that Dwight is urging a proposal, Toby gives his approval (but only because he feels obliged to)
What is the significance of the chapter title A Whole New Deal?
. Although this chapter is short, the reader sees Dwight’s true self upfront.
. He no longer seems unsettling, he is now most definitely unsettling.
. He drives recklessly whilst intoxicated and questions Toby extensively.
. Dwight obviously doesn’t like Toby, he knows that Toby has impersonated and made fun of him, and knows that Toby manages to appear to innocent to Rosemary.
. Dwight then suggests that there are going to be changes for Toby whilst he stays in Chinook “you’re in for a change mister. You got that? You’re in got a whole nother ball game”.
. Toby prepares himself for what lies ahead “I braced myself for the next curve” which simultaneously shows Toby preparing for the next curve on the road and the next curve in his life.
. Like the previous chapters, there is a cruel irony to this title as the idea of a new deal sounds like a positive change, but it is in fact the complete opposite.
What happens in A Whole New Deal?
. It was arranged that Toby spend some time after Christmas in Chinook with Dwight and his family and go to school there
. If things worked out Rosemary would quit her job and accept Dwight’s offer of marriage
. On the way to Chinook Dwight purposely hits a beaver, although he claims it was an accident
. Toby is asked to pick it up, but is unable to
. On the way to Chinook they stop at a tavern in a village called Marblemount
. Dwight brings Toby some food and goes back to the tavern, but he’s in there for quite a while
. When Dwight comes back they continue to drive to Chinook however he drives quite dangerously (Toby is scared)
. Dwight knows about the real Toby that lies
. Its clear that Dwight wants to set some ground rules for Toby whilst he’s in Chinook
What is the significance of the chapter title Citizen in the Home?
. In this chapter we see Toby living with Dwight and his family, however its seen more as surviving in Toby’s case.
. Toby is not considered a citizen in this home, he is close to a slave.
. From the beginning Dwight gets Toby to do jobs such as husk horse chestnuts and deliver newspapers.
. Toby receives no reward in any form for his work, he doesn’t see the money from delivering newspapers and he doesn’t receive any acknowledgement from Dwight.
. In fact, acknowledgement of good work never came from Dwight, instead everything that was wrong with him was picked out, “he would stop at the tavern and drink for a couple of hours, then take me through turns and tell me some more things that were wrong with me”.
. Although living with Dwight was unpleasant, especially when the abuse started, Toby had always wanted a conventional family “unlike my mother, I was fiercely conventional”.
. Toby just wanted to be accepted in this family, he was constantly trying to earn himself citizenship in this home.
What happens in Citizen in the Home (part 1)?
. Dwight makes Toby husk horse chestnuts
. He also has to deliver newspapers and Dwight puts the money into a bank account
. He is also forced to join boy scouts, but he likes it
. Rosemary gives Dwight a date for marriage in March and Dwight begins renovating (paints everything white)
. We meet Arthur Gayle, Toby gets into a fight with him
. Rosemary and Dwight’s relationship is rocky after honeymoon
. Skipper finishes his dream and goes to Mexico without Toby, but comes back with his car damaged by thick sand
. After a basketball game Toby sees Norma and Bobby’s true relationship
What happens in Citizenship in the Home (part 2)?
. Rosemary joins the rifle club and recruits several other wives (Dwight’s masculinity feels challenged)
. Dwight is getting harder for Toby to tolerate (paints christmas tree white too)
. Toby finds a letter from his uncle Stephen (lives in Paris) and writes to him explaining their awful situation
. Uncle Stephen offers to have live and go to school in Paris for a year, then he offers for Toby to stay for 5 years and to be properly adopted by them. Toby ends up declining
. Norma meets Kenneth before christmas (she has graduated now) and accepts his offer of marriage even though he’s hated by her family (she also has a child with him)
. Toby plans on running away with the $80 he has slowly accumulated
. Toby’s winchester rifle is gone and now has a dog called champion
. Toby taught himself how to drive because Dwight refused to (he snuck out at midnight and took the car for a joyride)
. One time he gets the car stuck, but gets help, unfortunately Dwight finds out and abuses him
. Champion is killing kittens, so they are told to get rid of him, Dwight shoots Champion
What is the significance of the chapter title Citizenship in the School?
. Chapters ‘Uncool’ and ‘Citizenship in the Home’ can have some relevance here because in this chapter Toby is simultaneously trying be accepted and wants to be considered cool too.
. In order to feel like he belonged he needed to have friends, so he became friends with Chuck, Psycho, Huff and Arch.
. His need to feel like a citizen in his school arises from the fact that he knows he will never belong in Dwight’s home.
. Toby also wants to have distinction, however, unlike his friend Arthur, Toby decides to be noticed and accepted in a bad way “I wanted distinction, and the respectable forms of it seemed to be eluding me.
. If i couldn’t have it as a citizen i would have it as an outlaw”.
. He also knows that this will help him be considered cool, which again arises from wanting to be liked and accepted.
. He knows its better to be with the crowd than to be alone.
What happens in Citizenship in the School (part 1)?
. Toby wants distinction at high school and decides to go for the bad kind (We meet Chuck, Psycho, Huff and Arch - Toby’s new friends)
. Toby falls in love with Rhea Clark (just moved to concrete from North Carolina) - he dances with her but she “took up Lloyd Sly”
. The boys all get drunk and Toby begins balancing on a tree branch that hovers above a gully paved with cement (the branch snaps)
. Toby unexpectedly receives a letter from Geoffrey (haven’t seen each other in 6 years)
. Toby decides he will hitchhike to Princeton (where Geoffrey is attending school)
. He plans to steal and forge a bank check (gets a library card to use as identification - Thomas Findon)
. Toby finally chooses a store to try and cash in his check (a drugstore - with a naive-seeming clerk)
. The clerk is wiser than Jack thought
. He runs away and is chased by the clerk
. He changed into his Scouting uniform and goes to the Scout Society Banquet that night (where he sees the drugstore clerk)
. Initially, the clerk recognizes Toby, but she convinces herself that she must be mistaken (the uniform makes him look better than he is)
What happens in Citizenship in the School (part 2)?
. Toby and Geoffrey continue to talk more
. When Dwight abuses Toby (mustard jar) he calls Geoffrey to tell him about it (exaggerates it too)
. Geoffrey suggests that Toby apply to eastern boarding schools so he can leave (Geoffrey assures him that he will easily be accepted into a private school after Toby lied to Geoffrey saying that he is a star athlete and an excellent student)
. Rosemary has been depressed (she has had to return to waiting tables at the cookhouse) and when she mentioned to someone that she wanted to leave Chinook Dwight got wind of this and pulled a knife to Rosemary (if she were to ever leave him, he would find and kill her)
. Toby does tests in Seattle (and observes the other boys)
. Arthur acquires official school stationary so Toby could provide false grades and teacher support letters.
. Toby and Arthur have drifted apart (more brutal treatment)
. Mr Mitchell (gym teacher) notices them mock wrestling near the school bus stop and insists that they fight one another in his annual “smoker”
What happens in Citizen in the School (part 3)?
. Dwight is excited for Jack to fight Arthur and trains Toby for it
. When Toby punches Arthur in the face, he recognises a frightening connection to Dwight (Dwight is proud of Toby for fighting, whilst Rosemary is sickened and disappointed)
. Toby did well on his tests in Seattle, but soon got rejection letters from all the school he had applied to
. Then he gets a call from Mr Howard (from Hill) as the school found his application interesting and wanted someone to talk to him (Toby is warned that it might be difficult to adjust to Hill, but Toby says he is ready for the challenge)
. Toby cut off his finger (he had to be put on morphine)
. When Toby returns home he craves the numbness he felt with the morphine (he steals some of Dwight’s alcohol)
. Dwight notices his watered down whiskey and confronts Toby (he pushes Toby - Toby is disorientated and falls)
. The incident is the last straw for Rosemary (Toby is sent to live with Chuck Bolger’s family)
What is the significance of the chapter title The Amen Corner?
Although Toby is now free of Dwight, the fact that this chapter is titled ‘amen corner’ suggests that there is still more to come before Toby can experience relief. This shown quite quickly as we see Toby finding himself in hot water after stealing from the Welch’s. He feels tremendous guilt “I had brought shame on myself”, but is overwhelmed and unable to apologise “I had not apologised. All i was able to say was that I couldn’t”. Additionally, Rosemary is still stuck with Dwight until she finds a job and new place to live. This means that whilst Toby is free, there are still concerns for his mother.
