¶ … Lust" to "A&P," "Girl" and "A Sorrowful Woman" both similarities and differences can be seen, with these noticeable in relation to the themes present, the protagonist character of each, the perspective and the way the story is told.
The main obvious difference between "Lust" and "A&P" is the nature of the protagonist. In "Lust" we have the female and in "A&P" the male. The character in "Lust" takes the place of the girl in the supermarket which Sammy lusts after. Sammy and the girl in "Lust" are looking at the situation from opposite angles. The similarity between the works is that they both focus on the same situation, that of finding one's place in society and especially finding one's place as a man or woman. In "Lust" the character remains almost unaware of the man's viewpoint, she simply reacts, giving them what they want as it is easier than refusing. But her basic underlying need is the search for love and attempting to find her own place in her role as a female. In "A&P" Sammy is also attempting to find his place and especially...
He reacts to the situation by a grand 'manly' gesture where he quits. The irony is that the girl does not notice the gesture, much as we might imagine the girl in "Lust" may also have not noticed the gesture. The similarity is that both characters are reacting to circumstances outside of themselves but in a way that they are so focused on themselves they cannot see the reality of the situation.
In "Girl" we have a female character in much the same situation as the girl in "Lust." One of the main ideas in "Lust" deals with the search to find one's place in society and one's place as a woman. The character in "Lust" is overwhelmed by the place she is given in society and unable to understand her place, instead of fighting it she simply accepts it. We see this in the way she sees sex as something she has to do, as we see when she says, "if you go out with them, you sort of have to do something." Sex is a symbol for her place as a women, she sees this as her place, and also feels that this role has been placed on her and…
