The Unlikely Similarities and Differences Between "A&P" by John Updike and "An Ounce of Cure" by Alice Munro
The stories "A&P," by John Updike, and "An Ounce of Cure," by Alice Munro, are very similar but very different at the same time. Most in my understanding possibly wouldn't see the similarities and/or the differences. A couple of important similarities between these two stories is the problems the opposite sex "causes" for the main character, the fact that they are set between thirty and forty years ago, as well as the titles I believe, are also important to the stories. However, a few of the contrasting facts in these stories are that one character takes less dramatic measures to resolve their problems than the other main character, another difference is how one story has far less detail in it than the other, as well as both main characters in these stories have very different attitudes towards everything.
In "A&P," Sammy, the main character, quits his job because he thinks that his boss has mistreated and embarrassed three young ladies that were shopping at the store. Such as a boy reacting to how a girl around his age is treated. In "An Ounce of Cure," the female main character's boyfriend dumps her and she responds by trying to overdose on aspirin, gets drunk, and loses almost all of her babysitting jobs. This reaction being due to how this teenager at this time or in this time frame had reacted, in regards to how a boy treated her.
Time can be a big determining factor. In "A&P," the young ladies were described as to have been walking around in the store in their bathing suits, any earlier in time they wouldn't have been wearing a two-piece bathing suit not to mention nowadays, there are usually clothing restrictions. Also, in "An Ounce of Care," the main character wouldn't even have been in the situation if the story had been set earlier due to the fact she would have been forbidden to date, as ...
