We All Fall Down

Q: What does Will learn about his dad during the events of the book? How does this change Will’s opinion of his dad?

A: At the start of the book, Will is unenthusiastic about going to work with his dad for a day, and believes his dad is a boring businessman who only cares about his work and not about him, revealed by his attitude during his conversation with his mother. After he leaves with his dad for work, although, at first, his idea of his dad is reinforced (when he treats him as if he was “five-years old”, also when his dad tells him he does the same thing everyday) what happens during the rest of the book completely changes his opinion

 of his dad.

Will sees that his dad is actually very excited to spend time with him and not immersed in his work like he thought he would. He can tell because of what all his friends say about him. Vanessa, Steve, and Elliot mention how excited his dad was and how he talked about him and showed them pictures, even telling them how he liked his coffee (three creams and two sugars). His dad’s secretary also tells him that his dad wanted to attend his school sport games or family meals, so many that she realizes how much how many sports Will plays. Although he doesn’t know it at first, his dad truly would like to spend more time with Will like a normal dad than stay at work.

Will also encounters many of his dad’s friends and colleagues, all of which seem to like his father. His friends on the bus seemed to rub along with him well, and everyone at his workplace looked up to him. According to his secretary, everyone in his office respected him and liked him, because he was friendly and because he put a lot of dedication into his work. Even the man who Will encountered while in his dad’s workplace said he was much more pleased to meet Will if he was his dad’s son than if he was a billionaire and that his dad was, “the glue that holds this place together.” Will seemed bitter about him being away so often, but I think he realized how important this job was not only to him but to many other people, and stopped resenting him as much for putting effort into his work and staff.

During the events of 9-11, Will learns that his dad is also a very reasonable, calm, and caring man. His dad is able to stay calm in the panic when the plane hits. He assesses the situation carefully and checks whether it was possible to get past the two floors. He makes sure that Will is safe while he goes through the blaze by getting him a mask, water, and many precautionary safety tips. He goes to help Ting when she is helpless and makes sure she’ll be okay. He tries to make sure everyone is out of the building and safe before he is. And to do all those things, he made sure he or Will didn’t panic and made them think they could get out safely, even after Will saw the couple jump off the top of the building. Will probably knew his dad had these qualities, but not so much that he would be able to let them survive this incident. I don’t think he every has, but Will appreciates these qualities afterwards.

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