SOURCE: Simpson, Mona. “The Morality of Everyday Life.” New Republic 193 (9 December 1985): 37-8.

In the following essay, Simpson traces the recurrence of certain moral questions throughout In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, The Barracks Thief, and Back in the World.

People in Tobias Wolff's stories often ask each other questions like “What's the worst thing you've ever done?” They say these things while driving cars, while on watch at United States military installations, and during parties. They say, “You are about to hear my absolute bottom-line confession. The worst story ever told.” Less often, it's “Why don't you tell us something good you did? The thing you're most proud of.” From the publication of Wolff's first collection of short stories, In the Garden of the North American Martyrs in 1981, Wolff has shown interest in the very worst things people do to each other. He also notes more...