A&P

The light-hearted, almost comedic tone of the piece is a juxtaposition to the overall theme of the story. I felt that throughout the story, the author included many comedic elements in order to evoke a sense of reality to the reader. The ridiculous terminology used is further evidence to the silliness of the story. However, even though the beginning seems quirky and funny, the tone changes. The author is trying to convey the realities of life. Some people want to move forward and have the opportunity to, while others just stay miserable; some by choice, others not so much. The metaphor of sheep with the girls that walk in is not only humorous, but has meaning as well with following one another. The protagonist finds this extraordinarily mundane. And so by the ending he ends up quitting his job at the grocery. I interpreted this as him moving on, possibly to better things; however, the ending paragraph he comes to the realization that he is just going to end up fatigued by a second-rate job; "checking the sheep through", just like Lengel.