Updike A&P, Lifeguard Compared
`In Literature, by Robert DiYanni, style is described as the way a writer chooses words and arranges them. “Style is the verbal identity of a writer, as unmistakable as his or her face or voice.” John Updike, in two short stories, A&P and Lifeguard, can be seen experimenting somewhat with some different styles. The uses of language in these stories largely determine the impression the reader derives about the main character. Both of these short stories are written in a first person point of view; the narrators are the main characters. The similarities generally end here, however. While A&P is a narrative in the traditional sense in which the main character narrates a sequence of events after the fact, Lifeguard is more of a meditation by the narrator on his view of his world. The narrator, a theological student for most of the year, uses many abstractions and intellectualisms in his rhetoric. This language immediately distances the reader from the lifeguard, who comes off as particularly arrogant. The second paragraph of the story, in which he describes his studies, is a good example of his tone: For nine months of the year, I pace my pale hands and burning eyes through immense pages of Biblical text barnacled with f
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Some common words found in the essay are:
A&P Lifeguard, Bible Jesus, Ronald McFarland, Donald Greiner, Updike Sammys, Robert Detweiler, Robert DiYanni, Henning Uphaus, John Updike, main character, short stories, ,
Approximate Word count = 905
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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