Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Summary of “A Visit to the Barbershop”

The article “A Visit to the Barbershop” by Bill Bryson appears in the book I’m a Stranger Here Myself. The point of the article is to show readers why Bryson hates going to the barbershop so much.

Bryson has very unruly hair. It rarely does what he wants it to in the first place. That, combined with many terrible hair cutting experiences, makes Bryson dread going to the barbershop. He feels powerless when he is at the barbershop; he is at the mercy of a person wielding scissors. The author illustrates his unluckiness and helplessness by explaining a recent hair cutting experience where his hair was cut by a barber-in-training who did not listen to Bryson’s request for just a little trim. Instead, the barber hacked away at his hair carelessly and gave him an embarrassing style. Bryson then mentions how the icing on the cake is having to pay for such a bad haircut and then having to go home to a wife who insults the new hairdo.

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