An Ounce of Cure by Alice Munro

"Kids will be kids." (Unknown) That is the theme of the story "An Ounce of
Cure," by Alice Munro. This story starts out with the narrator and her boyfriend breaking-up. She is very sad. Soon after, she baby-sits for the Berrymans'. While there, she drinks some of their liquor. After a few drinks, she begins to throw-up.
She calls Joyce, her best friend, to come over and help her. When Joyce arrives, she brought with her some other people that had been with her. Soon, Mr.
Berryman came home and caught the narrator drunk, and alone with a bunch of boys. Mr. Berryman took her home so she could explain to her parents what she had done. The story, "An Ounce of Cure," relates to common teenage experiences. The girl in the story goes through experiences as everyone else. The first example is when the narrator says "He took me out...and kissed me. I did not wash my face that night or the next morning." (p. 474) Most teens will be swept away by their first kiss. But soon after, the relationship will end, as it does in this story when the narrator says, "Two months later, he dumped me." (p.475) After being dumped, a teenager will think about their love, day and night. An example is when the girl said, "I spent ten hours at time thinking about Martain Collingsworth." (p.
475) The quote "I would torture myself with the exact recollection of Martin kissing my throat," (p. 475) shows the depression and longing that she went through. When someone is sulking, its' hard to convince them that they are better off now. An example would be when the narrator's mother tells her that "Martin has enough conceit to sink a battle ship." (p. 475) Her mother's comment just makes the girl more depressed. When the girl went to baby-sit, she thought, like most teens do, that drinking would help her feel better. "I stood looking at my face, half expecting it to be altered." (p. 477) When she felt the same she took another drink, until she was throwing up. Most teens rely on there friends, which we see when the narrator calls Joyce, an asks her to come over. Even though the narrator tries to cover it up, she is caught. Just like most teenagers are when they do something wrong. And whenever someone is caught, they get in trouble. Mr.
Berryman told her to "Go in and tell your parents the straight truth." (p. 479) That is how this story relates to the common teenage life. In conclusion, everyone goes through the same thing as an adolescent.
Everyone will go through the same situations and emotions. I thought this was a very good story. I think that all teenagers should read it, so they know that other people are going through the same thing as they are. I'd like to end with a quote I found in the story that the girl said when she found out Martin was taking a liking to her again. It shows that no matter how bad a situation seems at the time, a person will get over it. "I am a grown-up woman now; let him unbury his own catastrophes." (p. 481)