The Rich Brother

479 Words2 Pages
The Rich Brother The story, The Rich Brother, by Tobias Wolff, is about two brothers that have very different lives. Pete, the older brother, has money from real estate, a wife, two daughters, a house, and a sailboat. Donald, the younger brother, doesn’t have much. He paints houses when he can, and always owes his brother money. As Wolff begins to tell us about the two brothers, their lives, and their views on life, it is clear they are very different. Pete is more concerned about what’s on the outside, and helping people with their problems, where Donald is concerned about people’s inner problems and themselves. The two brothers are very different in their belief about what is valuable. The way they live their lives tells just how different these two brothers are. The older brother Pete, has worked hard and values what he has worked for. Donald, is too soft-hearted, and thinks he has to share, even if it leaves him with nothing. Pete is not a religious man. His values gather around not believing in any kind of God or savior. He values his money, and all he has bought with his money. His wealth gives him comfort. His destiny is to have a nice family and to be as his parents were. Pete clearly has a sense of responsibility in his work and his family. Even though Pete and Donald are very different, throughout the story, we see that no matter what kind of trouble Donald is in, Pete is there for him. The younger brother, Donald, was introduced in the story as “still single”. That clearly labels him as a lesser man than his brother. Donald has no material possessions, no money, and no steady career. Even though to us this looks bad, Donald is fine with it. He is more spiritual, and doesn’t place money and possessions high in importance. It seems Donald isn’t as mature as Pete and has a different view on things. The two brothers can never get

More about The Rich Brother

Open Document