Blog on Being a Real Westener

This passage by Tobias Wolff was about a boy who wanted a gun to feel older and more powerful. His mother wouldn't let him have it at first because she knew that a boy his age probably couldn't handle the gun and something bad would happen and she was right. When she finally let him have it his interest and obsession with the gun grew more and more every day. He was obsessed with the power he felt with it and the image of himself with it. He even started pointing it at people to feel what it would feel like to have the power over them. Then one day he couldn't hold his self control any longer and he shot a squirrel. He felt so bad because he loved animals and he cried about it and pretended to pray. His mother was sad too and they buried it with a little popsicle cross. Even though he was sad he couldn't help but to still be obsessed with the gun and its power and knew he would pick it up again one day soon. I feel that a gun is way too much power for anyone to handle. You have the power to take someones life away when you are holding it. If your job is to protect someone or fight for your country that is an ok thing but when a young boy is home alone with a gun pointing it at people there is something wrong there. A gun is not a toy and any family who leaves one lying out not locked up or even hidden needs to re evaluate what kind of message they are sending a young, curious, and imaginitive child. I know the man in this story, Roy, had a gun when he was younger but honestly I believe that is wrong. There is no reason or excuse for a child to be playing with or have contact with a gun. A squirrel died from this child playing around with the gun and even though that seems trivial it could eventually be much worse and so the gun should be taken away immediatley.