Fiction Analysis of a&P and the Lesson

The written report of commit has been depicted in m any novels and stories. Perhaps the near well-known depiction of desire tail be found in the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, a snake tempts offer and Eve to eat the forbidden produce of the Tree of Knowledge after he convinces them that they will gain Gods knowledge of good and evil and be protected from death. Despite Gods word to non eat of the produce, ten and Eve did so any focal degree. Surely, this paper portrays enticement however, beyond the origin of temptation lays the guinea pig of desire.Knowing it was wrong, Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they had the desire for what the snake promised them. Similarly, Toni Cade Bambara and John Updike too display the theme of desire in their pitiful stories. In The Lesson by Bambara and A&P by Updike, character, ambit, and point of deliberate argon utilized to project the theme of desire. Though The Lesson and A&P persuade place in vastly disparate environments, a ghetto in New York and a quaint New England sea-side town, respectively, little separates the symbolical meaning of the pose.The protagonists of some(prenominal) short stories rattling have no yearn to be in their current surroundings. Sylvia in The Lesson describes her part as foul smelling. It was so pestilential you couldnt halfway play hide-and-seek with push finished a goddamn gas mask (Bambara 1). Likewise, Sammy in AP comp bes the costumer at his checkout lane to a witch. within the first few paragraphs of both stories, ane gage tell that both Sylvias and Sammys atmospheres are not what they wish. some(prenominal) the ghetto in which Sylvia lives and the grocery store in which Sammy works symbolize misery.Through the t oneness of the characters, one can gather that neither is riant and they wish for something greater. Without these particular settings that Bambara and Updike chose, the stories would have no meaning. For instance, if Bambara set Sylvia in a este emed and wealthy neighborhood, there would be no narrative. The Lesson then would be a inconstant tale of a girls trip to a toy store. No underlying themes or symbols would be present. The setting is very important in both stories in that it defines not only the plot, exactly the characters themselves.Sylvia and Sammy are products of their environments. Being in an acrid environment would definitely put any individual on edge. Because both characters are unhappy with their surroundings, both are kind of misanthropical. Aside from comparing one customer to a witch, Sammy in addition refers to new(prenominal)s as sheep and points out house-slaves in pin curlers (Updike 3). Sylvia is also cynical in the way she talks of neglect Moore. At a point, Sylvia states that she is a nappy-headed pussy, which in no means is a proper way for anyone, let only if a child, to speak (Bambara 1).Despite being so cynical, the lector finds that both characters have another(prenominal) side a s well. When faced with desire, Sylvias and Sammys mannerism changes. The reader sees Sylvia in a whole new way when she sets eyes on the fiberglass sailboat. In fact, Sylvias entire persona changes. non only is she dumbfounded by the expense of the sailboat, however she is awestruck by its greatness. She grows rather mad about the price nonetheless, this is the blood line of the change of her character and train of thought. This is where she realizes the frugal imbalance of the world.Similarly to how Sylvia was taken by the sailboat, Sammy is beguiled by the girls physical appearance, oddly Queenie. This is make evident by the imagery of the textual matter from his physical description of them. Bambara and Updike especially, quite in effect use the characters point of view to however engage the reader to explore for theme. In AP and The Lesson, both protagonists secern the story in first person. This is especially important because the reader better connects with the cha racter. unrivaled can better relate when they aspect as if they are part of the plot.With Updikes combination of first person point of view and powerful imagery, one not only feels the like they are there, but they can picture it as well. The reader can visualize the girls walking with the maze of isles in the store. Every expand Updike sketches is important, even the two smoothest scoops of vanilla Sammy sees in Queenies top-piece (Updike 6). This tells the reader that Sammy is not an see lover. He is running wild with his thoughts and can barely control himself. Sammy is enthralled by Queenie and the other girls.So much, in fact, that he discontinue his job after Lengel, the manager, ridicules the girls about draining proper attire when entering a grocery store. This particular event shows the authorized desire Sammy has for these girls and their attention. Likewise, Sylvia has a true desire to change her ascribed status. The reader sees this when Sylvia states aint nobody gonna worry me at nuthin at the end of the story (Bambara 6). Sylvia becomes a dynamic character with this statement. Influenced by her desire for the Fifth passageway world, like purchasing the sailboat, Sylvia makes a vow that she is exhalation to change.She has the desire to leave the ghetto, to be something greater than the ghetto. She is going to strive for the rewards of Fifth Avenue she so much desires. Although the central theme of The Lesson and A&P may be something more than desire, Updike and Bambara definitely portray it through setting, character, and point of view. Perhaps even more interesting are the characters themselves. They seem almost life-like because of their relatability. It is conceivable that the protagonists in these stories by Updike and Bambara are the authors themselves.Toni Cade Bambara grew up in Harlem, a setting very close to that found in The Lesson (Schirack) and John Updike lived in a seaside-town in Massachusetts, eerily similar to the set ting of A&P (Moyer). It is very possible that these short stories contain characters based off the authors. It is also quite possible that these stories are actual life events that occurred while the two were thus far living. It is certainly very interesting to gauge about the fact that the characters could be relate to the authors in some way and what other influences life events may have had on other pieces by the authors.Works Cited Bambara, Toni Cade. The Lesson. Blackboard. ed. ENG 102-329. Ed. Gina Yanuzzi. Mount medallion BCC, Spring 2013. 1-6. Electronic. Moyer, Steve. John Updike Biography. Neh. gov. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Mar. 2013. Schirack, Maureen. Toni Cade Bambara. Voices From the Gaps, University of Minnesota. Ed. Lauren Curtright. N. p. , 11 Aug. 2004. Web. 07 Mar. 2013. Updike, John. A&P. Blackboard. ed. ENG 102-329. Ed. Gina Yanuzzi. Mount Laurel BCC, Spring 2013. 1-8. Electronic.