Trust takes people on the right path, a road from which they will not want to escape, a road that is neither petrified nor petrifying, and a road with a positive reflection of life. Revolutionary Road, a fiction novel by Richard Yates, is an expertly written tragedy based on a western Connecticut society where life seems quite boring on Revolutionary Road. The Wheeler and Campbell families all include members who lack self-confidence, a characteristic having been aborted at an early age or during difficult situations. Lack of confidence and self-esteem leads these individuals to play roles and modify their character in order to obtain a feeling of happiness and courage to stay on the Revolutionary Road until the day they look out the bay window and realize that the person looking back is a lie. Frank Wheeler from a young age lacks confidence due to the way he is treated by his parents and as a result he pretends to play roles throughout his life . Frank always considered his father, Earl Wheeler, to be the definition of a strong man, from his briefcase to his carpentry tools and his shotgun, but he lacked the confidence to think he could also become a manly figure and tough. He feels humiliated by his father in many ways; therefore, Frank sees himself as a failure compared to his father. (SP 1A) His father yelled at him when he tried to use the tools in his carpentry shop only to ruin them. Frank is jealous that his father has accomplished so much in his life and is good at things thanks to his strong, masculine hands. But Frank continues to imitate his father's virile image by playing with his briefcase. Hoping to become more masculine, “he walked up to it manfully and pretended it was his” (Yates 37). Finally, ... middle of paper ... it's brave, so what did you have? (349). Reality is petrifying, frightening, and it's not something any character wants to face in Revolutionary Road. These characters – Frank, April and Shep – choose to turn their backs on reality and live in a fantasy world where they play and act. (SP 7) The one role Frank and April never take on and perfect is that of themselves, but Shep does. Shep gains confidence, self-respect and love for himself and revolutionizes his path to reality unlike Frank and April. Frank always said, "If the old reality ever comes up and says Boo, we'll all be busy and pretend it never happened" (69). Frank and April never revolutionize their lives for the better and the road becomes a dead end both figuratively and literally. Works Cited Yates, Richard. Revolutionary road. 3rd ed. New York: Random House, Inc, 2008.Print.