An Ounce Of Cure Comparison

A&P and An Ounce of Cure are two short stories that impacted the Beat Generation when they were published. Because both were written during the same time period, the theme of hope, adolescent rebellion, and parental disappointment with the teenaged protagonists are present in both stories. However, the gender of the narrators, the reason for their rebellion, and the way they view adults differs from each other.
Hope can be found in A&P when Sammy walks out of the grocery store. As he exits the A&P, he no longer has chains that conform him to the norm. The wide open doors and dancing sunlight represent his freedom. Similarly, when the narrator in An Ounce of Cure pushes Bill Kline away, she frees herself from the drug-addicted, depressed girl

This evidently changes the tone of each story. For example, if Sammy were actually female, he may not focus on the girls in the grocery store as much as he actually does. If the girl from An Ounce of Cure were a boy, she may not be so heartbroken after Martin leaves her for Elizabeth. The gender of the protagonists alters the story drastically. Also, the reason for the two narrator’s rebellion differs in each story. Sammy’s reason for rebellion comes from his idea of being a hero for the girls and receiving positive attention by quitting after they are shunned. The female protagonist’s reason for rebellion arises as she attempts to cope with her emotional dysfunction. Her inability to come to terms with the lack of a romantic relationship drags her to the alcohol that she believes will heal her and completely abolish her problems. Finally, Sammy sees the adult’s actions in A&P as being in the wrong. He disagrees with Lengel’s way of shunning and embarrassing the girls. He rebels against the adults because he does not agree with them. The narrator in An Ounce of Cure, however, sees the Berrymans drink and have fun. She sees this as acceptable and does it herself, only to be in grave trouble later on. The genders, reason of rebelling, and the way both protagonists see adults’ actions differs for both narrators despite the fact the stories are so similar.
The two short stories, A&P and An Ounce of Cure, both