There's a lot of symbolism in Tobias Wolfe's Powder. What I really like about this piece is that there's a lot of of exposition without being an information dump. The writer conveys the father's spontaneity by talking about his last appearance at a jazz club, seeing Thelonious Monk. Not only does this give an insight to the reader about the father's parenting, but jazz itself is important, not a random choice, because it is equally spontanious.
The roadblock and the snow themselves are also both telling. The roadblock is a symbol of something that, clearly, shouldn't be crossed. After they pass the roadblock, the son's inhibitions are lessened, and he starts to enjoy his father's personality. The snow represents a change, something new.
In my piece for this week, I'm going to try to write outside of the first person narrative I'm used to, like Raymond Carver did in Neighbors.
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