John Updike's A&P Essay

In "A&P," Sammy is initially drawn to three girls, Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony Goony, perusing the grocery store and while he is drawn to the leader of the group, Queenie, he soon begins to note how they are a contrast of what middle-class suburbanites consider to be acceptable. Sammy notes,

Sammy begins the story by describing the three girls in bathing suits who have walked into the A & P grocery store. The girl who catches his attention is a chunky girl in a plaid green two-piece swimsuit. As Sammy continues to observe the girls, his interest seems to focus only on the girl who leads the other two into the store. Sammy refers to the girl he likes as "Queenie",someone showing poise and leadership, while the other girls

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

Sammy, deemed to be the protagonist of the story, is nothing short of the typical nineteen year old, full of insecurity and self doubt, working an average job at a local supermarket. He’s desperate to break out of hometown, desperate to leave behind the people like Stokesie and Lengel, who he perceives to be just some “scared pigs in a chute”, but struggles to find an escape route. That is, until he encounters Queenie, a girl who lives a life Sammy can only dream of. Queenie resembles everything Sammy wants to be. She is a natural leader, hence the nickname “Queenie” awarded to her by Sammy. She’s also proud, and confident. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and loves herself without apology. So when Queenie offers Sammy the opportunity to transform himself into the person he only dreamed of being; a rebellious, confident and fearless spirit with little regard for anyone else, Sammy jumps at it. As a result, Sammy makes a rash decision to quit, in hopes of following Queenie to her sophisticated world outside of the A&P supermarket. Sammy’s rash decision to quit was an attempt to escape, live a new and exciting life, but falls short when the girls leave him behind and reality slaps him in the

Sammy surmises how he will never know for sure how girls’ minds work, he says “do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?” I personally believe that Sammy is attracted to the girls in a way that he undermines their intelligence because he feels their beauty is beneath him. He criticizes the way they walk and their appearance, but perhaps he is jealous of them, thus making this remark.

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

John Updike, one of the most forward-thinking and socially provocative writers of the 50s and 60s, is known for his “incisive presentation of the quandaries of contemporary personal and social life.” (Lawn 529) Updike graduated from Harvard University and wrote for one of the more cutting edge publications like The New Yorker- both are notoriously ahead of their time and harbor controversial ideas. In his short story “A&P”, Updike reveals a young man named Sammy in a society on the brink of a social revolution- one in which a group of girls and an innocent cashier will unknowingly lead. Updike, through symbolism and syntax, shows how the girls are leading the revolution, how Sammy is feeling the wrath of this revolution, and

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”.

Sammy's play continues as he his eyes follow the three girls around the store, and he notes the way that the one he has named "Queenie" is definitely the leader. She would "buzz to the other two, who kind of huddled against her for relief" (28). Sammy sees this as a game of follow-the-leader as well as a game of hide-and-seek, because, as Queenie "led them, the other two [would] peek around and make their shoulders round" (27).

In the story “A&P”, the character Sammy is a young nineteen year old cashier who is full of humor, wit and sarcasm. He thinks of his customers as sheep and pigs. Moreover, he doesn't like the life of his coworker who has two kids and little older than Sammy. In Sammy's eyes, he sees Stokes as his future and he dislikes it.

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

For one, this source of human connection arises from the fact that Sammy resembles the average young adult, whose undecided about their future endeavors and works at a local store to cover any additional bills unpaid by his parents. He even has an apron with the name “Sammy stitched in red on the pocket…” (Updike, 232), similar to many work uniforms and name tags worn by readers in their personal workplaces. Another parallel between readers and Sammy results from congruent decisions about possible love interests. For example, when “Queenie” (Updike, 230) catches the eye of Sammy and he sees the disrespect she endures from his manager, he chooses to voice his opinion about it. For instance, Sammy states “you didn’t have to embarrass them” (Updike, 232). After that, Sammy quits the A&P due to personal morals and hopes of a possible romance, despite the financial consequences. Overall, Sammy is the epitome of the young working class, whose trying to find their way in the world which a multitude of readers relates

John Updike’s poems are written in a very peculiar style. Unlike most poets, Updike’s poems seem to tell a story, rather than depict a singular emotion. This is due to the fact that many of Updike’s poems deal with simple, yet focused topics. Updike masters the use of vivid language to produce powerful images in the minds of his readers. The use of such strong language in his poems allow his readers to see and experience the messages which he is portraying. Although the topics of Updike’s poems vary immensely, the same detailed conceptions are evoked from every poem.

“A&P” by John Updike is a story about a boy who learns that all actions have consequences. In “A&P” three girls walk in to the store A&P in nothing but their bathing suits. Sammy one of the stores cashiers describes what the girls are wearing and what they do throughout the story. The girls walk up and down the aisles catching the attention of many of the other customers. The girls then get in line at Sammy’s checkout, the manager Lengel walks up and tells the girls they will have to leave this is not the beach. Sammy gets mad at Lengel for tell the girls to leave, so he quits his job. Updike’s theme for this short story, is coming of age and the fact that life throws curve balls and you cannot always make the best decisions in those situations. Updike’s story is developed using character development, setting and point of view.

John Updike is an amazing writer during his time. He wrote many short stories and poems. He is an American and is a literacy critic. He was widely praised as America's "last true man of letters", with a huge and far-reaching power on many writers. It is said that “John Updike has been called the most gifted writer of his generation; ‘Updike writes with the tongue of angels, and sees with the eye of a bird’” (Hamilton). Updike was well-recognized for his careful craftsmanship, and his unique prose style. He wrote on average a book a year. Despite in his books about characters, themes, and attitudes, John Updike based his writings on his life experiences because he wanted to put a personal feeling in his books.