Emerson said it best: “For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure” (Porter 1155). By examining Amy Tan's "Two Kinds" and John Updike's "A&P" in detail, you will find that this quote is very applicable in the context of oppression and in the image of "coming of age ". These two stories document the different perspectives of two characters' growth and how the role of the invisible hand of oppression guides the development of adolescents into mature adults; without prejudice or even foresight. The characters in question are: Sammy, an A&P store clerk whose time on the job reveals how oppressed he is by society, and Jing-Mei, whose life and every move is dictated by the iron fist from her Asian mother with high expectations. By comparing these stories, you will discover how two characters, with very different lives, are affected by essentially the same forces of humanity. In analyzing these two stories, it is first worth mentioning how different their experiences actually are. Sammy is a store clerk in his late teens who, in his first job, is dissatisfied with the normal functioning of society and the bureaucratic nature of the store in which he works. He feels oppressed by the very fabric and nature of aging, outdated rules and, at the end of this story, culminates in exposing his true feelings and quitting his job in a show of non-conformity and rebellion. Jing-Mei, on the other hand, is a young Asian American girl whose life and every waking moment is guided by the pressures of her mother, whose idealistic view of words helps try to shape her into something decent by the double standards of Asian society. and their newly acquired American culture. Contrasting these two perspectives, we see that while...... middle of article...... Vol. 257. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Gale Library Resources. Internet. April 13, 2011. Porter, M. Gilbert. "John Updike's 'A&P': The Establishment and an Emersonian Cashier." English Journal 61 (November 1972): 1155-1158. Rep. in News Criticism. Ed. Anna J. Leaves. Flight. 27. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Gale Library Resources. Internet. April 13, 2011. Stein, Karen F. “Amy Tan.” Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition (2001): 1-3. Literary Reference Center Plus. EBSCO. Internet. April 13, 2011. Tan, Amy. “Two kinds.” Exploring literature: writing and arguing about fiction, poetry, theater and essays.4th e. Ed. Frank Madden. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 253-261. Print.Updike, John “A&P”. Exploring literature: writing and arguing about fiction, poetry, theater and essays.4th e. Ed. Frank Madden. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. 496-501. Print.