A&P and Other Stories Lesson Plan

What is David's central struggle in the story? How does this struggle begin?

Throughout the story, David struggles with his belief in God and belief that he has a soul that will persist beyond his bodily death. His doubt is prompted by reading H.G. Wells's The Outline of History, which provides a secular account of the life of Jesus, rejecting Christianity's major premises. Though David tries to come up with objections to the passage to reestablish his faith, he cannot. David's struggle intensifies as he talks to parents and authority figures. His mother, father, and pastor all brush aside his questions and provide unsatisfactory answers. It seems that David is the only...