Critique of "On Being a Real Westerner- by Tobias Wolff.
Wolff throughout this account shows how a great storyteller can twist a basic story into thriller in every sense of the word. Wolff's plot structure is very simplistic given the personality of an autobiography. The paragraphs fallow the form that was taught to most by a sixth grade teacher. A basic idea fallowed by descriptions and closed with transition that leads you to the next idea. The punctuation fallows to the same effect as the plot structure by staying basic and routine. He only differs from this when he uses fragments to show what the quick thoughts of a young excited child, as in chapter four. The usually basic sentence structure allows for a good pace by the reader and the ideas flow more quickly. This clear-cut from allows the reader an effortless read until the end where the writer's complexity reflects that of the boy's state of mind. The reason why the writing flows so smoothly is largely because of Wolff's mastery of his transitions. Wolff is particularly good at this because of his use of time to keep everything in a flowing order. He is always using words like "over time- in paragraph eight and "when- in paragraph ten. Yet, Wolff's true personality comes out in portrayal of the event.
The first thing that came to my mind when I read this story was cliché. The little boy and the gun. What boy has not played soldier or mooched the green and black camouflaged G.I. Joes with the array of endless firepower. The initial section of the affair was virtually one of my own which had been constructed from my recollection and deposited on the paper. Throughout the sixth paragraph he was no longer portraying an account to me with terms but it was like I was surveying the event from the snipers nest in the apartment. More than ever at the closing stages of the sixth paragraph "At first I made shooting sounds-kyoo! kyoo! Then I started cocking the hammer and letting it snap down.