Comparing A & P And Orientation Short Story

Short stories have a habit of being quick and to point the point; they also enjoy sharing a theme or lesson to their audience, no matter the word length. A & P and Orientation are two short stories that share commonalities and differences. Both scenarios feature first person narrators, who observe their daily surroundings and remark on the current event. However, both also have significant incidents that create their climax, revealing different facts and revelations about the main character. Interestingly, both seem to have a similar yet different theme. As the stories progress in detail and conflict, it becomes obvious that for each main character to escape their conflict, they have to choose the choice that seems the hardest for them, no matter the actual consequence. In A&P, Sammy learns to take initiative and discover more about her life thanks to three teen girls. Sammy is used to her job being on the boring side; as a cashier, she is the person who checks out grocery customer. The majority of the short story chronicles Sammy’s monologue about her mundane routine. However, on this fateful day, three teenage girls decide to enter the establishment and go grocery shopping (Updike, 1). Sammy observes their status, choice factors and overall perceived personas. Another quality about them is they just arrived from the beach, but this does not bother …show more content…
While A&P rejected the status quo, Orientation accepts the dysfunction in their lives. Sammy in A&P decided to break away from the status quo and become her own individual. On the other hand, the Orientation narrator accepted his position in the group, and individualized himself to fit into a viable position for the company (Orozco, 1-5). Both are appropriate responses to a situation that can potentially question one’s self-image. How one reacts is dependent on their supporting characters and theme, but in general, it is an reaction thanks to one