This Rebel's Life
In the memoir This Boy’s Life, written by Tobias Wolff, we follow the youth and adolescence of Tobias as Jack. Through Jack’s childhood it seems as though he is stuck in a loop. No matter where Jack goes he is known as a “hotshot” or a “good for nothing” and he hates the fact that is who he is and what he is known as. He dislikes his life and doesn’t know why he does the things he does but it seems like he is almost forced to hang out with the wrong crowd and do bad things because no one gives him the chance to do better. This is the reason that Jack is a self-hating rebel, because he hates the way he is and wants to be better but he can’t be controlled to be something he isn’t. No matter where Jack goes to school, he always seems to befriend the school’s most widely known troublemakers. While Jack won’t let what others think of him define him as a person and of what he thinks of himself, he can’t help but be what he is especially when around the negativities of those who know him, especially Dwight, and the peer pressure of his juvenile friends to drink, steal, and cause trouble. One friend who actually helps Jack to be a somewhat better person is Arthur because he knows Jack for what he truly is, something other than just a rebel. While they may have met by fighting because of Jack calling Arthur a “sissy” they soon become quite close friends and Arthur helps Jack to finally leave Concrete. While his intentions are good, Jack knows he is a rebel. He breaks rules, gets bad grades, and has a terrible transcript which are the reasons Jack goes through rebellious acts to get into Hills Prep School and forges his transcript and recommendation letter with the help of Arthur. He also lies in his interview and does many other things to get into the school but through these rebellious acts Jack is slowly becoming a better person.
The main reason Jack is a rebel is because he is put down as one by Dwight. However, the only way to finally leave Dwight is to be a rebel
The main reason Jack is a rebel is because he is put down as one by Dwight. However, the only way to finally leave Dwight is to be a rebel