Short Story Dean Makepeace By Tobias Wolff
Dean Makepeace
Dean Makepeace, from the short story Old School by Tobias Wolff, is the Dean of an old boarding school outside Seattle. Makepeace looks like an posh Englishman with his cane, his suit, and a friendship with Earnest Hemingway. If I were to describe Makepeace with one word, that word would be wise. Wolff shows us that Makepeace is wise in many ways. The first I noticed was when Wolff is describing how many books Makepeace has in his office. This, to me, shows that he has lived a long time and has learned much in life; that and the white hairs sprouting from his ears and nose. Wolff describes the bookshelves as “Shelves of dark, uniformly bound books,” that “rose up on either side, floor to high ceiling.” This shows the
vast volume of text that the Dean had pondered over for years. The second time I noticed Makepeace as wise was when Wolff was crying for what he had done and instead of scolding him more, Makepeace attempted to comfort him, and even brought him a glass of water. Wolff writes “I started to weep-to blubber…” “I tried to stop but couldn't. I felt a hand on my back.” Makepeace shows his wisdom by noticing when Jack realized what he did wrong and feels bad for it. Makepeace tells Jack softly that he should go clear things up and to get his grades up. All of this shows how Makepeace is a very wise man. Another younger, less wise Dean might have severely punished a student for his mistake, but Makepeace decided differently. Instead of punishing someone for their mistake, let them learn from it instead. That shows me the difference between a wise man and a foolish one.
Dean Makepeace, from the short story Old School by Tobias Wolff, is the Dean of an old boarding school outside Seattle. Makepeace looks like an posh Englishman with his cane, his suit, and a friendship with Earnest Hemingway. If I were to describe Makepeace with one word, that word would be wise. Wolff shows us that Makepeace is wise in many ways. The first I noticed was when Wolff is describing how many books Makepeace has in his office. This, to me, shows that he has lived a long time and has learned much in life; that and the white hairs sprouting from his ears and nose. Wolff describes the bookshelves as “Shelves of dark, uniformly bound books,” that “rose up on either side, floor to high ceiling.” This shows the
vast volume of text that the Dean had pondered over for years. The second time I noticed Makepeace as wise was when Wolff was crying for what he had done and instead of scolding him more, Makepeace attempted to comfort him, and even brought him a glass of water. Wolff writes “I started to weep-to blubber…” “I tried to stop but couldn't. I felt a hand on my back.” Makepeace shows his wisdom by noticing when Jack realized what he did wrong and feels bad for it. Makepeace tells Jack softly that he should go clear things up and to get his grades up. All of this shows how Makepeace is a very wise man. Another younger, less wise Dean might have severely punished a student for his mistake, but Makepeace decided differently. Instead of punishing someone for their mistake, let them learn from it instead. That shows me the difference between a wise man and a foolish one.