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Summary Of The Rich Brother By Tobias Wolff

604 Words3 Pages

In Tobias Wolff’s story, “The Rich Brother,” the author depicts the relationship of two opposite brothers. While one brother, Pete, is seemingly content with his financial prosperity and wealthy lifestyle, the other, Donald, finds no comfort in such things. As Pete struggles to tolerate Donald’s outlook on life, Donald struggles to find his place in the world spiritually while avoiding concerning himself with the financial aspect of it. For some this spiritual sense of completion Donald seeks is more valuable to them than any financial one, while others, like Pete, find comfort in the life they live through material wealth. Although Pete’s lifestyle lacks a spiritual aspect, he is the “richer” brother since he has obtained the way of life he desired to have the most, not due to the fact that this desired lifestyle stems from much physical wealth. …show more content…

Furthermore, he goes as far as send letters regularly as it states in paragraph 8, “Every week Pete heard how happy Donald was, how ‘in the Lord.’” However, in a short amount of time his happiness quickly fades as troubles between him and the faith community grow. In paragraph 10, it describes the extent of his unhappiness saying that “at Thanksgiving Donald was grim. He tried to sound upbeat but he didn’t try hard enough to make it convincing.” All the while, Pete has been living a fulfilling life to his liking with his wife, “two droughts, a sailboat, a house…in their own lives not to wish bad luck on him.”(par

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