In the stories, Highway Patrolman, A&P, and Goodnight Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen, John Updike, and Tom McNeal respectively, family is important, if for different reasons. The main characters are all males who hold their family to a very high regard. In all cases the character’s family influences them in significant ways.
The first story discussed will be the song Highway Patrolman by Bruce Springsteen. The main character is a man named Joe Roberts. He works for the state as a “sergeant out of Perrineville barracks number 8.” His brother is nothing but trouble, as seen in the lines “Now ever since we was young kids [it’s been the same thing ] / ... Franky's in trouble downtown” His brother is shown to influence his decisions to a major extent, even while he is on the job. Joe explains the situation quite well with “... Franky's in trouble downtown / ... when it's your brother sometimes you look the other way.”
The next story discussed will be A&P by John Updike. The main character is a boy named Sam. He works at the local A&P, hence the story's name. The story's main conflict is the manager of the A&P and three girls who came into the store in their bathing suits. When the…show more content… The main character is a young teenage boy named Randall. He is devastated by his father’s death. His feeling are quite profond, “It was as if a hand had reached inside him and taken his heart and begun gently to squeeze. His heart was tender at first, then raw, then it hurt, actually hurt, with every beat.” He continues to feel this way for quite some time, showing the true depth of his love for his father. He also shows love for his mother when he puts up with his mother’s boyfriend Lenny who, as Randell describes, “[Always] seemed always to have the flushed, pleased look of a bully who's just won a fistfight.” He shows this love for his mother even more when Lenny flirts with Randell’s older sister, by not trying to beat
