What is the main conflict in Four Summers by Joyce Carol Oates?

The main conflict in the story, Four Summers, is centered around the challenges Sissie experiences, as she grows up. Her parents are working-class drinkers who "chose" the only life they knew. They display the characteristics of people overwhelmed by their circumstances, responding to events rather than initiating them, and settling into a life of lowered expectations, alcoholism, lethargy, and gossip.