The Lesson

"The Lesson" takes place in New York's inner city. The fictional story begins with a group of poor, uneducated, lower class city kids standing in front of a mailbox, preparing themselves for another day of being taught by Mrs. Moore. Mrs. Moore felt that it was her duty to help underprivileged children learn because she was one of the only women in the neighborhood to earn a degree. Sylvia, the main character in the story, tells the story in a first person narrative. Sylvia is a young African American girl, probably around fourteen years old, who is very judgmental about the world around her. The story surround the issue of discrepancies between poverty society and the wealthy society.

A&P John Updike's

John Updike's short story “A&P,” centers on a young immature and morally ambitious teenager who faces down the generation gap and, rather than bending to the dictates of the elders, rebels against them. The meaning of a&p is about conformity, and breaking free from the straight and narrow. The girls represent freedom and individuality, and the store and people within it represent conformity. Sammy is the person struggling to find his place in all this.