In the short story "son," author john updike
a. purposely confuses the reader by going back and forth in time.
b. makes a deliberate choice to manipulate the story structure in order to support his themes.
c. develops characters that span generations in order to add depth to the story.
d. combines setting, characterization, and plot to create a suspenseful mood.

The best answer for this statement would be:

B.makes a deliberate choice to manipulate the story structure in order to support his themes.

This is because his overall theme of the "power of desire" is basically the general idea of the short story. He presents a great structure in this short story of the boy, by adding depth to his character and the scenes around. 

Reread the pages and you will get the answers.