A & P Summary

The lifestyle that Sammy wants to live is similar to that of Queenie and her two friends who enter the A&P supermarket. Sammy asserts, “I slid right down her voice into her living room…the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks…they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them” (Updike 19). Sammy admiringly explains what he thinks the girls’ lifestyles are like. He specifically describes the types of food and drink being consumed to express the comfortable and pleasant lifestyle that the girls have. This type of lifestyle belongs to the upper classes of society. Sammy states, “She remembers her place, a place from which the crowd that runs A&P must look pretty crummy” (Updike 19). Sammy compares the girls’ lifestyles to his own and ultimately prefers their comfortable and classy lifestyle over his working at the A&P. He feels as though the girls are able to live carefree and is able to enjoy their summer because they don’t need to work summer jobs that they don’t want. Additionally, Sammy mentions that after he quit his job, he realized how hard life was going to be. He was not going to gain a lifestyle like Queenie and her friends automatically. Sammy would have to go to college and do a lot of hard work before being rewarded with an upper

Updike used foreshadowing in this piece by letting the audience know that something is going to happen, without letting us know exactly what it is. I believe that the best example of foreshadowing is when Sammy thinks to himself, “The sheep pushing their carts down the isle---the girls were walking against the usual traffic (not that we have one-way signs or anything) ---were pretty hilarious. You could see them, when Queenie’s white shoulders dawned on them, kind of jerk, or hop, or hiccup, but their eyes snapped back into their own baskets and on they pushed” (Updike 143). By this

Transition -- Finally Supporting point 3--Sammy quickly judges Queenie to be of a higher social class based solely on her voice. Quote- He imagines a cocktail party at her house, suggesting the “men in ice-cream coats and bow ties” are drinking drinks “the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint” (826). Explain/relate quote to point-- When he relates a party scene from his own home, he imagines people drinking malt liquor rather than martinis. Concluding sentence --Sammy childishly makes impulsive judgments about everyone he sees, never attempting to look beneath the surface. 2 Topic Sentence -- Sammy also exhibits disrespect throughout the story. Supporting point 1 -- He shows little respect for age or

There is a sudden change in Sammy's attitude toward the girls throughout the story. At first, Sammy and his friend's he work

Sammy’s obsession with Queenie shows how Sammy doesn’t get much action. He is about a twenty year old guy who is obsessing over a 16 or 17-year-old girl. Sammy gives every single detail about Queenie; for example, he says, “She was the queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round. She didn’t look around, not this Queen, she just walked on slowly, on these white prima-donna legs.” About 80% of the story is dedicated to the description of Queenie.

He can let Lengel’s criticism of Queenie and her friends go, therefore conforming to society’s standards, or he can voice his own opinions and become independent. He appears to come to his own conclusion on what to do when he reminds himself of Queenie’s reaction to Lengel. Updike writes, “but remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab and the machine whirs ‘pee-pul’ and the drawer splats out” (167). Sammy then realizes the magnitude of what he has done once he has left the store. Updike writes, “… and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (167). Sammy knows that now, since he has gone against the normalities of society, he will not be looked upon fondly by others around him. Although he may not be liked by all, he has become his own person with his own thoughts, marking his coming of age and transition to adulthood. The external conflict experienced by Sammy in “A&P” helped him transition from conformity to

Sammy is the only character in this story who asserts his individuality. Two of the girls are simply following their leader, and Queenie is easily embarrassed and capitulates to Lengel. The other shoppers

Sylvia and Sammy are products of their environments. Being in an unpleasant environment would definitely put any individual on edge. Because both characters are unhappy with their surroundings, both are quite cynical. Aside from comparing one customer to a witch, Sammy also refers to others as “sheep” and points out “house-slaves in pin curlers” (Updike 3). Sylvia is also cynical in the way she talks of Miss Moore. At a point, Sylvia states that she is a “nappy-head[ed] bitch”, which in no means is a proper way for anyone, let alone a child, to speak (Bambara 1). Despite being so cynical, the reader finds that both characters have another side as well. When faced with desire, Sylvia’s and Sammy’s mannerism changes. The reader sees Sylvia in a whole new way when she sets eyes on the fiberglass sailboat. In fact, Sylvia’s entire persona changes. Not only is she dumbfounded by the price of the sailboat, but she is awestruck by its greatness. She grows quite mad about the price; nonetheless, this is the beginning of the change of her character and train of thought. This is where she realizes the economic imbalance of the world. Similarly to how Sylvia was taken by the sailboat, Sammy is captivated by the girls’ physical appearance, especially Queenie. This is made evident by the imagery of the text from his physical description of them. Bambara and Updike

Sammy gets a glimpse of independence from queenie when she buys her mother’s crackers. As Sammy thinks of queenie with her herring snacks he imagines “queenies parents standing around eating and drinking only the best things in life” (Updike 288). This imagery shows how desperate Sammy is at becoming independent to be his own person. All of his fantasies are crushed when the girls are told to leave and Sammy tries to stand up and say “I quit “(Updike 289). Shocking one of his family’s longtime friends the store manager, and also not even getting the girl of his dreams. Sammy finds himself stuck without a job because of his unthoughtful outburst. While Sammy may have gained independence he lost thing in life to help him be more independent. His impulsive uneducated action made him loose a job and have to deal with things more on his own since his parents got him that job. With A&P Sammy acted more on impulse and not thinking through his plan. This leaves him independent from his job but not really independent in the since that he really wanted.

Sammy’s tone come across as dissatisfied. It seems as if he's been working in the A & P for a long time. Mentally giving customers labels such as “cash register watchers” and “sheep”. He's very intrigued by the girls, he observes every feature about them and watches them as they make their way through the store. He seems to come from a lower social class and it seems as if he's never been around upper class girls. Watching these girls wonder through the store with so much confidence and entitlement seems to leave Sammy inspired to have the same confidence and make himself happy. When quitting the store Sammy seemed confident in his decision even though when walking out he realizes it could be a mistake in the long

Sammy is stuck in that difficult transition between childhood and adulthood. He is a nineteen-year-old cashier at an A&P, the protagonist in a story with the same name. John Updike, the author of "A&P," writes from Sammy's point of view, making him not only the main character but also the first person narrator. The tone of the story is set by Sammy's attitude, which is nonchalant but frank--he calls things as he sees them. There is a hint of sarcasm in Sammy's thoughts, for he tends to make crude references to everything he observes. Updike uses this motif to develop the character of Sammy, as many of these references relate to the idea of "play."

Even though Sammy’s mindset is childlike, he still tries to portray himself in an adult manner. The reader can observe throughout the story the way in which Sammy thinks to be immature and quick to judge. Having his concentration only on the girls, he made a mistake while ringing up a customer. Because he is so focused on how the girls are dressed and what they are up to, he has full descriptions of each girl and thinks he has them all figured out. He points out the leader and even names her “Queenie” while not giving the other two as much attention. The reader can see how Sammy sort of mocks some of the customers when he sees Lengel “checking the sheep through” (Updike 435). Sammy’s priority, which should only be ringing up customers, but happens to be seeing what the girls are up

Even though Sammy feels superior to the people around him, he is from the blue-collar working class. We learn this when Sammy says, “When my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it’s a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses with ‘They’ll Do It Every Time’ cartoons stenciled on” (Updike 837). Most people don’t bring out their beer glasses for important guests or for a party. After Sammy quits, Lengle says to him, “Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your Mom and Dad” again proving that Sammy needs the money and the job (Updike 839). Therefore, it is strange that he would feel that he is superior to the people in the store. After all, he is the one serving them. Sammy finally realizes the fact that he is of a lower social status when Queenie and her minions come to the register to check out. He thinks the girls will see him like all the other customers/workers in the store, especially Lengle and Stokesie who are plain and boring compared to the girls. Sammy calls Lengle, “…pretty dreary” (Updike 837). This causes Sammy to try and change his appearance. He wants to stand out and be different from the rest of the people around him to impress the girls standing in front of him. This need to be different causes him to quit. In the moment, he feels a rush of adrenaline, however afterwards he feels the consequences. Living in the 1960s, the towns would

He intends to show the differences in the lifestyles of each member of the triangular conflict and how each lifestyle conflicts with each other forcing Sammy to choose between to live his life like Lengel or Queenie. Lengel being a conservative ancient man or Queenie being an open-minded young person.

Sammy is used to being a sarcastic observer of society, where Queenie and her friends just outright defy the social norm. For example when Queenie defends her fashion choices against Lengel by insisting, “We are decent,” her confidence has now turned into an embarrassment. Sammy sides with her argument that the young are always “decent”, and being “natural” should prevail over corporations and conformity. This leads Sammy to quit his job because he is infatuated with Queenie’s life and wants to impress her. Even though this news will upset his parents, he doesn’t care because he doesn’t want to be like them, drinking cheap beer or lemonade. But rather like Queenie who he pictures drinking water with olives and sprigs of mint. Sammy is looking to be something more than his