Fighting, Ruben Wolfe

Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak Fighting Ruben Wolfe is just a novel about teenage boys fighting. Discuss. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak is not just about teenage boys fighting. It is also about two teenagers growing up with their family facing financial issues and about family relationships. Family in Fighting Ruben Wolfe is shown by the family being brought closer together, but they struggle because the father is currently unemployed and the mother is working two jobs, so it feels like the parents aren’t for their children as much as they were before Mr Wolfe’s accident.

Mr and Mrs Wolfe are stressed because they can’t pay all the bills and as a result they can’t look after their children as well as they used to. At the beginning of the book, Sarah comes home drunk and Cameron and Ruben are at the dog track a lot. Once the boys started fighting, Mr and Mrs Wolfe don’t notice the bruises on the boys. These problems for the Wolfe family clearly show that Fighting Ruben Wolfe is just as much about family as fighting. It also shows that the family are facing financial issues. Financial issues in Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak are shown by family having very little money.

They have hardly any money because Mr Wolfe is unemployed. In Chapter 6 of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, the first paragraph proves that they have very little money “The phone has been cut of because we don’t have the money to pay the bill. Or really Mum and Dad don’t have the money to pay it. Steve or Sarah could pay but there’s no way. It’s not allowed. It’s not even considered. ” The main two characters, Cameron and Ruben have started to fight illegally so they could earn money to help pay for their bit. So there is fighting in the novel, but it is not just about fighting.

These examples demonstrate that there are also financial issues in the novel. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak is not just a novel about teenage boys fighting, it’s also about two teenagers growing up, showing there struggles in life, and also shows what two normal teenagers will do for their family. But the brother’s soon find out that there not just fighting for money, but also for identity, for dignity, and for each other. When Mr. Wolfe finally accepts that their broke, he goes down to Centrelink to get the doll. But as proud as Cameron and Ruben are, they go and try to stop him.

Finally the parents find out that they fight. They don’t act kindly to this at the start, but then they realize how important this is to them and then they let them still compete. They keep on fighting and end up fighting each other in the end, but because both brothers are very series about their fighting, the fight series and Ruben defeats Cameron, But Cameron is very proud and didn’t give up till the very wnd. This book has taught me to be grateful for what I have and to always respect my family, this book was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it. By Liam Truscott 9a