William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning" and John Updike's "A and P" both depict oppressed children growing up and realizing they need to break free of there current lives. "A and P" shows that you can not work at a summer job all your life, you need to put a stop to it and go find where you belong in life. The theme to "Barn Burning" reveals that blood is not thicker than water and that you need to stand up for what you believe in and what is right. These two stories that take place at a different time, place, and totally different lifestyles, yet "Barn Burning" and "A and P" manage to come together to unite in a common theme of growing up, finding who you are and freeing yourself from society's restraints.

The story "A and P" can be seen as more than just some...