Tooth and Claw, by T.C Boyle, is a short story about the...

Tooth and Claw, by T.C Boyle, is a short story about the main character, Junior, a man who only depends on others to get by, and struggles in life because of it. In life, we all find ourselves searching for alternative reasons as to why things don’t always workout the way we hoped they would; however, more often than not, the real reason lies within ourselves, no one or nothing else. It is up to that person to make something happen, and junior fails to do this, always relying on others. As if the title wasn’t enough, the short story is packed with symbolism, one of which being that, like the wild cat he had won, Junior is nothing without someone to take care of him, and he fails to be the change he wishes to see in the world. This is†¦show more content†¦Nervously, Junior thinks to himself about how he has to feed not only Cat, but Daria as well, he ponders â€Å"Eggs, I could scramble some eggs, but there was no bread for toast, no milk, no sugar for coffeeâ €  (Boyle 72) thus displaying how incapable he is of caring for a pet, a guest, and let alone himself. Perhaps it is clearest that Junior has minimum goals set for himself, when he and Daria stay up late talking about their hopes and ambitions, revealing that he doesn’t have many. After he listens to every thoroughly thought out and planned intricate detail of Daria’s dream to own a restaurant, as well as her past education at University, Junior claims â€Å"my ambitions were more modest† (Boyle 72) implying a lot less than Daria’s had been. Junior explains to Daria how he’d finish at a community college â€Å"without aim or interest† and how he had been working as a tile-setter for his aunt and uncle’s friend, nothing he had dreamed or planned of becoming in the past. Bored and unsatisfied with Juniors dysfunctional life plans, Daria just replies with a â€Å"yeah† and a yawn. Junior begins to fall for Daria and begins to rely on her as his life support in a way, making it almost impossible to live without her by his side, he e xplains After Daria left for work, I didnt know what to do with myself (Boyle 75). Dysfunctional without her, and having such different aspirations along with personalities, Daria eventually leaves Junior. It is at this point that Junior