The Rich Brother Analysis

He Was NOT His Brother’s Keeper According to Merriam-Webster pride is defined as the quality or state of being proud. Arrogance is defined as an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions. Pride and arrogance can make a person’s life turn toxic. Family and friends are going to stop associating with the prideful person because of his lifestyle. There will be a point when prideful people can overcome their prideful ways when they realize no one wants to associate with them. This essay examines the character development in Tobias Wolff’s “The Rich Brother” and discovers a universal theme of pride preventing brotherly love. Pete is a prime example of what a prideful person is. He lets something like money and material affect his relationship with his brother. I can see in the that he is trying to put his pride to the side, but it does not work. It is still there even though he tries to hide it. I can tell that he is not ok that he must come and get his brother. As for Donald he is happy, but his brother has an undertone of anger. The brothers tried to get along, but things just continued to happen between the two. When Pete arrived, Donald explained that he needed so money to pay back these people who gave him sandwiches and drinks. To his surprise, Pete gave him 5 twenties, which shocked Donald. He explained that he did not need that much but Pete insisted. This can come off as Pete looking out for his brother, but it is his pride that possessed him to give Donald that much money. It just seems that he is trying to flash that he has money to just give away. To make it seems worse Pete just called it some “pocket change”. Donald’s presence was in some way irritating to Pete and therefore his arrogance was clear as soon as Donald entered Pete’s car. It is understanding how and why Pete got angry at his brother for wasting a soda in his seat, but he has not seen his brother for a while, so it is very absurd to be angry with him already. That right there is a sign if his pride coming through; One of his possessions has gotten dirty. After a while in the car Donald started to talk about their childhood. Donald makes a claim that Pete tried to kill him by repeatedly punching him in his stomach where he had had stitches. Donald claims it happened once or twice, and he never understood why. Pete claims he does not remember that and shrugs it off. He then began to try to ignore what his brother had said, and he started to talk about a dream he had had. Later, they stop at a diner to get food and they meet a man who needs a ride. Donald agrees to give the man a ride despite Pete not wanting to give the man the ride. This is another example of pride affecting the way Pete decides based off his feelings. He obviously did not want the man to get in his new car, the same car Donald wasted soda in. They got back on the road and the man named Webster, started to explain his story to the brothers and Donald was pretty much the only listening to it. Pete was shrugging off everything Webster was saying and even went as far to say he did not believe him. This here is an example of his arrogance. He does not want to hear what someone else story because he is stuck up. After the story Pete decides that he wants Donald to drive a little bit, so he can sleep. He dozes off and wakes up confused because Webster was no longer in the car. He asked Donald what had happened, and he said that Webster wanted to get out, but he was still far from his destination. Pete automatically knew that Donald gave him the rest of the money he had from the money he gave earlier. He had a problem with this even though he gave the money, to him which is now Donald’s money. Again, this is his arrogance coming through. They then got into an argument about the whole ordeal and Donald insisted on getting out of the car and Pete pulled over and he got out. As Pete drove away he was thinking to himself of what his wife would ask him when he got home, and Donald was not with him. His conscious was getting back at him for all his pride and arrogance. After a while with just him and his thoughts, he eventually went back to get his brother. Pete at the end recognizes what has been occurring in his life with pride and arrogance. He found a way to put his pride and arrogance to the side which will be good on his conscious now that he sees what is happening. He found a way on his own to fix that problem at the point in time, but he still has work to do. Everything and everyone cannot be fixed in a day’s time. Anyone can make a change if they are too arrogant and/or prideful.