The first stanza sets the present setting. Flick is working on and off at a gas station just a couple blocks from his former high school, which relates to the whole "living in the past" theme. The street Pearl Avenue symbolizes Flick's life, it runs past the high school and then is "cut off / Before it has a chanc

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pearl Street, Flick Webb, Updike Flick's, Beads Updike, Pearl Avenue, Potential It's, John Updike, stanza updike, flick webb, wasted potential,
Approximate Word count = 460
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)