This Boy's VoiceTobias Wolff's style in his memoir, This Boy's Life, is very different from many other memoirs and personal narratives. He is a master at manipulating his voice, and through its use, he was able to make his story more real and truer. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay This Boy's Life follows a young Wolff as he progresses from childhood to late adolescence and the kind of trouble he gets into along the way. Everyone has read coming-of-age stories before, but Wolff's use of voice sets his story apart from many others. It gives the reader an unfiltered look into his mind at that moment. For example, when he talks about his ammo box full of stolen cash, he is talking about what he will do with all the money. He talks about this outrageous fantasy in which he lives in a cabin with "the walls covered in skin...[and] tame wolves dozing before the fire" (155). It gives the reader a glimpse into his childhood mind and fantasies. There are many examples of images like this in the book and they help remind the reader that Wolff is just a child. It also adds a relatable quality to the book. Everyone has these kinds of thoughts as children; it is the product of an unfiltered imagination, untouched by the concerns of adult responsibility. This immerses the reader in the book and allows them to reflect on their own childhood while reading, making it easier to see the book as it was written: from a child's point of view. When we are children, we often bounce between hobbies. to hobby, from interest to interest, rarely looking to the past, always looking to the future. The book moves steadily in a forward direction, providing short, almost vignette-like passages about his changing interests and how those interests influence his decisions. This structure and the constant shifts in focus make the book read like the mind of a child. Another quality that enhances Wolff's voice is his ability to reserve his adult judgments when telling his childhood story, and is able to be brutally honest about his feelings at the time. For example, when he reflects on the incident with Chuck and Tina, he tells the reader "I didn't mind seeing Chuck on the griddle now" (254). As children, we all have bad thoughts, and ignoring them would be ignoring a part of the child's mind, distracting from the experience of reading their mind directly. He inserts his current thoughts into the book, but they never directly interrupt the story, they simply serve as reflections, often after significant events. This gives the reader time to process the events, much the same way they would have had time to process those events as life happened in real time. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Wolff manipulates the voice in this novel with grace and expertise. Through his diverse use of voice and focus, he is able to immerse the reader into the mind of a young Jack Wolff, making for an enriching read for anyone who may come across his memoirs..