A & P by John Updike and Araby by James Joyce

The short story “A&P” written in 1961 by New Yorker, John Updike was written to picture an image in readers mind on the judgment he portrayed at the grocery store. Updike, known as Sammy in the short story, immediately judged three teenage girls who walked into their store on what they were wearing and how they were carrying their selves. He then later found himself becoming defensive when his store manager, Lengel, approached the girls on the bathing suites they were wearing in the store which was said to be against story policy. Sammy did not like Lengel approaching them and made a compulsive decision to quit his job. Sammy knew the position he was putting himself in but chose to stick with it. John Updike uses Symbolism, Imagery, and Similes in “A&P” to

John Updike is considered one of the greatest writers in modern American history. He is known for the idea that seemingly ordinary aspects of American life are actually quite fascinating. He wanted readers to see the beauty and magic of life, so he tried to describe everyday things using the most clear but beautiful language possible. Many of Updike’s pieces are drawn from his own life such as his marriage and his boyhood, as shown in three of his short stories: “A&P”, “Ace in the Hole”, and “Pigeon Feathers”. Updike’s narrative technique is explored through the analysis of plot structure, thematic patterning, and irony in these three short stories.

The similarities between the stories may not appear very apparent at first over closer analyzation the appear more apparent .Both stories are focused around a brother and a sister whom

In the story “A&P”, Updike tells a more modernized version of “Araby” depicting a scene where a young boy, in an attempt to impress a female customer, stands up for her against authority, which fails. Sammy, the cashier of the store is in awe of the three girls who enter in nothing but bathing suits. He watches them from afar and is especially taken with the “queen” of the group, stating her to be “more than pretty” (Updike 33). The store manager then calls out the girls for their inappropriate attire, and like in Araby, Sammy seizes the opportunity to show the girls his chivalrous ways. He manages to get “I quit” (Updike 35) in before the girls are out the door, in the hopes that they will stop to listen to him. They, however, keep going and Sammy is left to finish what he started. He is now faced with following through with his actions, and losing his job. It is from this experience that Sammy learns that as the world modernizes, his heroic actions become less useful. The girls did not care whether Sammy quit or not; they could handle themselves. Although they were extremely embarrassed by what the manager had said to them, they quickly carried on with their business and left the situation, without needing to be saved. Therefore, it is Sammy’s failed heroic gesture that shows him

John Updike's “A & P” and James Joyce's “Araby” are very similar. The theme of the two stories is about a young man who is interested in figuring out the difference between reality and the fantasies of romance that play in his head and of the mistaken thoughts each has about their world, the girls, and themselves. One of the main similarities between the two stories is the fact that the main character has built up unrealistic expectations of women. Both characters have focused upon one girl in which they place all their affection. Both Sammy and the boy suffer rejection in the end. Both stories also dive into the unstable mind of a young man who is faced with one of life's most difficult lessons. The lesson learned is that things are not

In both situations, the different groups of boys were thrown into harsh conditions and there are many similarities and differences between their stories, however, the Lost Boys

In the story A&P by John Updike a young cashier by the name of Sammy learns about the power of desire and the mystery of others minds when working at an A&P supermarket in a small town north of Boston in the 1960’s, where there was a lot of social norms and many people didn’t step out of them. The young nineteen-year-old Sammy wasn’t expecting his Thursday shift at A&P to go the way it did when income three young girls but, these are not your socially normal teenagers who come walking in the door. The moment these girls walk into the A&P they attract every male eye in the store towards them, which clearly shows the kind of power their sexuality grants them over their opposite sex. In turn, Sammy imagination and interpretation of these

In the short story A&P by John Updike, the story is told in a first person narrative of a teenage boy working as a cashier in an A&P grocery store on a hot summer day. The story begins with the teenage boy named Sammy becoming preoccupied by a group of three teenage girls that walk into the grocery store wearing bathing suits. Sammy admires the girl's beauty as most nineteen year old adolescent boys would, in a slightly lewd and immature nature. His grammar is flawed and he is clearly not of an upper-class family, his

It is normal for people to quit their job for rational reasons, but rarely will people quit their job for a girls attention. Three females enter A&P dressed in swimsuits. Sammy has a hard time focusing on what's critical. From enjoying girls shopping, to quitting your job, Sammy makes a decision that he’d never thought he would make. In John Updike’s “A&P”, appearance plays a big role with Queenie, power is constantly being used and principle is be being shown.

The short story "A&P" by John Updike is about a group of three girls who enter an A&P grocery store in nothing but bathing suits. The male workers at the A&P grocery store are drawn to the looks of the three girls, Queenie in specific. One theme I saw present in the story was the power of aspiration. This theme is clearly seen through the power the three girls hold over the male workers at the A&P grocery store, especially Sammy. The three girls are aware of the sexual attraction the male workers are broadcasting through their constant stares; however, the girls are not acknowledging the male workers, which allows for the girls to hold the power of aspiration. The author conveys this theme through Lengel and Sammy's failed attempts to take this power of aspiration away from the girls.

The one similarities that I got was there both boys. They both have conflicts with their families. They both get misunderstood by

In the stories “Araby” by James Joyce, and “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro, there is a common theme of growing up. In both of these stories the characters came to a realization of who they were and what they wanted to be. They both are of the age when reality strikes and priorities take on meaning. The characters in both stories evolve through rites of passage but the way in which these revolutions occur differ with each character.

In approximately every story, the protagonist faces difficult personal situations where he/she takes risks and puts forth a great deal of effort to satisfy and impress another character. In the stories "A&P" by John Updike and "Araby" by James Joyce, the main characters both have goals they perceive they must accomplish in order to impress characters of the opposite sex. The iconic image of the protagonist achieving their goal and getting the girl or the guy seems very crucial to every story , however in this case they obtain something else. The true meaning of the quest these characters undertake is that they experience an epiphany. The realization that life is and always will be unfavorable and difficult.

A person’s life is often journey of study and learning from errors and mistakes made in the past. In both James Joyce’s Araby and John Updike’s A&P, the main characters, subjected to the events of their respective stories, are forced to reflect upon their actions which failed to accomplish their original goal in impressing another character. Evidently, there is a similar thematic element that emerges from incidents in both short stories, which show maturity as an arduous process of learning from failures and a loss of innocence. By analyzing the consequences of the interaction of each main character, the Narrator in Araby and Sammy in A&P; and their persons of infatuation, Mangan’s sister and Queenie, respectively; both protagonists realize and mature through their respective failures.

In both stories, there are additional parallels for example both stories are a tragedy, where someone related to the protagonists have died, or was killed. Nevertheless, I however am going to talk about a different common observation that I felt was