"Putting Daddy On" by Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolfe's essay tells of a memory he recalled of himself accompanying his friend Parker to visit his dropout, misfit son, Ben. They venture into the Lower East Side of NYC to find him living like a hippie holed up in a crummy apartment filled with strange slang and other misfits. Sounds strange, but since Tom Wolfe is such an accredited writer (even admired by Kurt Vonnegut!) one can expect nothing but greatness from this essay.

Tom Wolfe, 2005
Photo taken by Henry Leutwyler

The story goes on to provide the immediate context showing that the setting takes place in 1964. This important year in the sixties explains why Wolfe described Parker as a "casualty of the information crisis" (280). Since he spent most of his growing-up time in the fifties, Parker was unable to adapt to the fast-changing nature of the sixties.

Wolfe's essay describes the ever-changing relationship between a father and son. It is obvious that Parker did not play the role of a father well when Ben was growing up, since he ended up a bum. Now, to try and reverse the damage he has done, Parker must 'put on' his sense of being a father to present himself with some sort of authority. 

The purpose of writing this essay was for the author to show the effect of a father who continuously tries to control his son and constantly be part of his life. The more Parker tried to change Ben's ways and act 'hip' around him, the more estranged Ben became. 

At the end of the essay, Parker says to Wolfe, "I threw out everything I had. I couldn't make anything skip across the pond. None of them. Not one" (287). This imagery really shows how unfortunate it was that Parker and Ben could never connect. I think that this quote could stand alone and still make it that Wolfe accomplished his purpose in showing the relationship.