This short story follows the main character Sissie during four different summers at the lakefront. Joyce Carol Oates numbered separated each summer which was easy to follow. Each summer shows the growth of Sissie and her transition from a young teenage girl to more mature young woman nineteen years of age.

The first summer Oates shows the shy innocence of Sissie. A young teenage girl that sticks closer to her mother as she observes her father, mother and friends hanging out at the lakefront tavern. It seems to be a holiday of some sorts, Sissy sits close to her mother, “I lean against Ma’s warm leg” (Oates 286) and she observes the adults sitting out and looking at the parade, drinking beer, talking and playing cards. Her innocence as a young teenager is shown when she was offered a sip of beer. She did not like the taste and thought it to be ugly. At the end of section for the first summer, Oates shows Sissy’s innocence as more of an observer instead of being more involved. As she stands on the …show more content…
Oates shows how much time has past by the description of each character. Sissie’s parents has another child, her brother Frank is not even around anymore and hangs out with his own friends, her brother Jerry is twelve years old and going through puberty marked by his pimpled face. Sissie and Jerry sit around as usual waiting for their father to take them out on a boat ride. Eventually their father took them out on the boat and despite his drinking; Sissy has admiration for her father. Jerry on the other hand has hatred towards his father, stating “All he does is drink” and “I hate him, I wish he’d die” (Oates 292). Sissie seems to have more of an interest in her father this summer, compared to sticking closer to her mother last summer. She looks at her father’s face in observation while on the boat ride, she is surprised as to what he looks like up close and she thinks he’s like a stranger to