This Boy's Life Analysis

A main characteristic and cause of immaturity is the overuse and dependence on imagination. This is displayed in children but also in Toby Wolff’s memoir This Boy’s Life. Toby frequently uses his imagination as both an escape and a shield from the harsh reality of his own current status. As a child, Toby would utilize his creativity to picture himself living a successful lifestyle instead of the poverty he was raised in. Even as he grew older, Toby would never be able to see himself anyway other than the identity he created for himself. Because Toby uses his creativity to re-invent a persona for himself in whatever way that pleases him, he does not ever truly consider the further consequences of his actions, contributing to his lack of foresight
Toby first elucidates his lack of foresight after smashing the windows of his school cafeteria. After evading discovery by authorities, Toby, Taylor, and Silver became, “self-important, cocksure, insane in our arrogance” (61), influencing them to commit even more heinous acts of vandalism instead of acting more carefully. This was caused by their imagination—inducing a sense of invincibility within them—furthering their recklessness and initiating Toby’s future thievery and other criminal acts. This misconception of immunity would later lead to hubris and many troubles within Toby’s life. Furthermore, Toby again portrays his deficiency in foresight during his tenure at Concrete High School with Chuck. During one incident in which the upperclassmen were able to intoxicate Toby, Toby fell off of a cliff, but instead of responding to the people who were searching for him, he remained quiet and “listened with godly condescension” (191). The sounds of those who cared for him combing the area only stimulated his sense of importance that is already inflated through his imagination. This therefore causes those who care for him, such as his mother, to not only worry, but also to abase his value in their minds. Thus, because of his exaggerated ego, Toby does not think of protecting his image—one of the most important characteristics to
Toby constantly hides behind his many personas to endure the harshness of life. Although the false identities provide a brief respite from the daily struggles of his childhood, Toby’s imagination also not only harms him, but it also detriments his growth. This then delays his realization of his true standing by years. It is not after much later in his life that Toby then understands his true status, as shown years after his residence in Seattle. When he goes to apologize to the Welches, Toby then finally realizes, “the resemblance between their house and the house where I’d lived in Seattle” (246), insinuating that even though throughout the novel Toby matures little, he slowly is able to employ his wisdom to realize his true standing outside of his multiple