This Boy's Life (3-56)

Summary:
First set in 1955, Toby and his mother Rosemary are moving from Florida to Utah to flee from the mother's violent boyfriend. It has been 5 years since the divorce.They both wanted change, a new beginning and to leave the past behind. The first change that Toby wanted was his name. He wanted to officially be known as Jack. Toby's father did not like the idea at all. Also, his mom was making him take catechism classes. The father didn't like that idea either. Before he was about to get baptized, he was going to have his first confession to the priest. That did not go well as planned but it did happen anyway. A few weeks later, Roy, Toby's mother boyfriend tracked the family down and lived with them. Later on, Toby received his first rifle from him. When Roy stated to Toby that he and his mother was thinking of having a baby, Toby didn't explicitly said no, bad idea, but he just nodded, hiding his feelings. One day when Toby came home from school, he saw two suitcases already filled and saw his mother packing another one. He learned that he and his mom was moving...again to Seattle. So they are moving away from Roy, but the narrator does not say why. At Seattle he and his mother live at a boardinghouse and he befriends Terry Taylor and Terry Silver. They spend a lot of time together, especially at Silver's house.

Quote:

"I saw the good humor leave my mother's face, just as I knew it would. She looked at me coldly and I looked coldly back at her. The subject of bicycles turned us into enemies. Our problem was that I wanted a bike and she didn't have enough money to buy me one. She had no money at all" (Wolff 52).

Reaction:
I think Rosemary feels embarrassed but the fact that she doesn't have a lot of money. Toby described his mother's face as coldly. I know that it shows that she wants to make his son happy with his needs and his wants. In my opinion, I think that Rosemary feels that she failed as a mother by not getting him what he wants, a bike. On the other hand, a bike is a want not a need. I think that this is the reason why Rosemary and Toby move constantly, to find more opportunity to make a living and live life to its fullest.