The writing style that Joyce Carol Oates used for this short story was not the easiest to follow, separating different sections used to tell this story required careful attention. This short story tells a traumatic experience for a troubled fifteen years old girl. The main character is dealing with some internal conflict, coming from a wealthy family. She seems to be rebelling by the act of shoplifting, to seek the attention she is craving. The teenage girl has feelings of “I wanted to steal but not to buy” (Oates 268). After not getting into any trouble for shop lifting a pair of gloves as her parents knew the store owner, the distributive behavior is still within her. Having lived such a sheltered rich life and longing for attention, she