A & P By John Updike Analysis

In John Updike's J and P, Sammy a hard working young man takes an easy decision that not only makes him lose his job, but change his life forever. Sammy who’s works as a cashier at a local grocery store. Is put in a situation where “three girls in nothing but bathing suits,”(Updike), walk in the store and aren't following the dress code. Unfortunately everyone was staring at them with disrespect; everyone but Sammy, who believes what Queenie and her friends were making a statement that shouldn't be overlooked. He wanted to stand up for the girls, but Sammy began to look at both sides of what

Life is always about making important decisions that could change your life completely. Like the story A&P, Sammy made a huge decision to quit his job due to his boss being rude to three young girls wearing bathing suits. John Updike used several literary elements to make the story stand out and for people to relate to Sammy. The most important elements that is used in this story is setting, point of view, and characters.

“Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your Mom and Dad,” he tells me. It’s true, I don’t. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it (323). This statement made by Sammy after quitting his job, was made towards the end of John Updike’s story “A&P”. Sammy had quit his job, a job that his parents helped him to get. Sammy opened up a whole new world; a world that I don’t think Sammy was ready for. He made a quick and irrational decision, rather if it affected his life or not we would never know.

The short story “A&P” written by John Updike, is about three girls who change Sammy’s life. The three girls came from the beach and are not dressed properly to enter a grocery store called A&P. Sammy, the main character, is a check out clerk, and observes every detail about the girls. Sam even gives each of the girls a name. His favorite is “Queenie.” Sammy is obviously the type of guy who doesn’t get a lot of girls. Sam has a conflict of person vs. society. Because of his dead end job, obsession with Queenie, and his noble act to save the girls from embarrassment, Sammy has a conflict between himself and society.

To begin with, Sammy shows a rude attitude through the story. He indicates little regard for other people’s age or knowledge. To illustrate, Sammy asserts the old aged customer, who reprimands Sammy for scanning her item two times while he is gawking at the girls, is “a witch about fifty … [who] would have burned her over in Salem” (Updike 320). Sammy’s despise toward this old lady—in fact shoppers—is perceptible. Also, when Sammy quits A&P, he talks discourteously to his manager Lengel. The readers soom comes to discover that Lengel is a friend of Sammy’s parents. Lengel attempts persude Sammy from making his rash decision, pointing out that he does not want to do to this to his

The setting of the short story, “A&P” by John Updike is a key factor in understanding why Sammy decides to quit his job as a cashier. Sammy know’s that this will only make his life harder, but he continues to reject the A&P in this story. In the story, there are also things that symbolize Sammy and the store. This story also has a dramatic end. In John Updike’s short story, “A&P,” he uses the setting, symbolism, and dramatic irony to support the theme that there are consequences to a person’s actions.

As people age, maturity and wisdom is gained through every experiences. From the time a child turns eighteen and becomes an adult, they are required to deal with the realities of the real world and learn how to handle its responsibilities. In John Updike's short story, "A&P", the narrator Sammy, a young boy of nineteen, makes a major change to his life fueled by nothing more than his immaturity and desire to do what he wants and because of that, he has do deal with the consequences.

   At first glance, Sammy, the first-person narrator of John Updike's "A & P," would seem to present us with a simple and plausible explanation as to why he quits his job at the grocery store mentioned in the title: he is standing up for the girls that his boss, Lengel, has insulted. He even tries to sell us on this explanation by mentioning how the girls' embarrassment at the hands of the manager makes him feel "scrunchy" inside and by referring to himself as their "unsuspected hero" after he goes through with his "gesture." Upon closer examination, though, it does not seem plausible that Sammy would have quit in defense of girls whom he quite evidently despises, despite the lustful desires

The short story “A & P” by John Updike is about a young man’s decision to stand up for others or, in the other characters’ opinions, make a foolish decision by abandoning his responsibility. At first he believes his decision is the right thing, quitting his job for how the girls were being treated. Then when he gets outside of the store, he realizes the world he just left behind, regrets his decision, and begins to question his actions. He starts to overthink what the world has to offer him, making his worldview change from underrating to overrating. His “unsure of the world’s dangers” worldview in the beginning changes to overrating the dangers of the future ahead at the end of the story causing Sammy to change throughout “A & P”.

John Updike’s ‘A&P’, is about a young man’s struggle with morality, authority, and freedom. Through a series of events Sammy witnessed injustice in his workplace leading him to quit his job. When Sammy quit his job he was taking a stand against authority because he longed for freedom from the A&P and his manager. Sammy made the leap from an adolescent, knowing little about life, into a man facing the consequences from his actions. John Updike’s use of language and actions reveal the internal struggles and relationships of a young man growing into adulthood.

Sammy’s inability to conform to Lengel’s power and the future A&P had in store for him was also well portrayed through the description and diction in the story. The author made it known that achieving a promotion in the A&P was not so simple. “I forgot to say he thinks he’s going to be manager some sunny day, maybe in 1990 when it’s called the Great Alexandro and Petrooshki Tea Company or something.” Internally Sammy felt that if he had remained in this job he would have been helplessly waiting for a promotion some day. Sammy’s doubtfulness is seen in the words “thinks” and sarcasm from the words “maybe in 1990..”

This quote also pushes you to stand up for what you believe in. You know your morals and values. Don’t let anyone control your life besides you. Everyone deserves to be happy so live life how you want and shut down anyone that tries to change it.

What transpires next for Sammy is he will peregrinate home to his parents with lamentable news about his job. His parents will be disappointed in him because he made a rash decision without understanding the consequences. Sammy's manager, Lengel, verbally expressed that he did not desire to do this to his mom and dad. Sammy probably utilized this mazuma from working to avail his parents. Now he's going to feel this for the rest of his life; because after having a conversation with his parents, Sammy will go back to the shop and ask for his job back and Lengel will reluct to rehire him. From this point on, Sammy will become homeless because he couldn't contribute to the bills since he bailed on his

The short story is A&P to make a change the attention about Sammy was these Queenie. To his Updike was common with people in the compelling narratives is there impression. As the reader of the A&P for society because people will believe it conflict. Using a uncomfortable in the grocery store narrative for Sammy were working in casher. Then Queener was walked into the store for bathing suit show look alike fabulous. The available to looking for girls have swimsuits in the store. Some checkout to regarded as the cashier with Sammy was the force at work because of the concerned. That is effect of character in a story was told for Updike before explaining about Sammy into the A&P.

Every character in works of literature is subjected to criticism and critique by its readers. In the short story, “A+P”, the protagonist, Sammy has been subjected to criticism for his actions of quitting his job, a reaction of seeing young ladies be disrespected in his workplace for wearing bathing suits. Many readers depict Sammy as immature and ignorant for quitting his job. However, the author, John Updike contradicts this assumption, portraying Sammy as a nineteen year old, who demonstrates strong morals, ambition, defiance, and a promising future, characterizing him not as an insolent teen but a developing young man.