Summary Of John Updike's A & P

John Updike’s short story, “A & P,” which made its first appearance in The New Yorker in 1961, is arguably one of the shortest and funniest literary pieces found in college literature anthologies taught in American schools. Perhaps, its appeal and peculiarity stem from the fact that Sammy, who doubles up as the narrator and protagonist in the story, is trying to explain, from his point-of-view, his impulsive decision to quit his cashier job at the A & P supermarket. In the story, the author uses the protagonist to develop the theme of immaturity. Throughout the plot, Updike seems to suggest that Sammy’s childish behaviors, as is exemplified by his judgmental attitude, ill-mannered personality, and sexist thoughts, can explain why he impulsively quit his job. This paper explores the thematic concern of immaturity by focusing on the immature behaviors of the protagonist.

John Updike's story "A&P" talks about a 19-year old lad, Sammy, who has a job at the local grocery store, the A&P. Sammy works at the register in the store and is always observing the people who walk in and out each day. On this particular day that the story takes place, Sammy is caught off guard when a cluster of girls walk into the store wearing just their bathing suits. This caught Sammy's attention because the nearest beach is five miles away and he could not figure out why they would still be in their suits. Sammy continues to overlook the girls in the store throughout their endeavor to pick up some item's that they were sent in for. While they are wandering around the store Sammy watches the reactions of other customers, is yelled at

Updike's use of setting helps to contribute to the development of the theme of the story by making the reader understand the conformity of the society in which Sammy is yearning to escape. The story, “A&P”, takes place in the local A&P grocery store in the 1960s, a time in which it was abnormal to break free from the social norms of the

In the short story “A&P,” John Updike emphasises the overall theme of to be an individual is to face social consequences.

    Adults always stress that it is important to make a good first impression. That is what Sammy was trying to accomplish in John Updike’s "A & P." Although some people believe that Sammy is a hero for standing up for his beliefs when he quit, there is conclusive evidence that he quit in an attempt to impress a girl he was obviously attracted to, Queenie.

In John Updike’s “A&P” the characterization of Sammy, the main character and narrator a nineteen year old check out boy at the A&P market ,very distinctly alludes to his lust for power and dominance over women. Sammy expresses his dominant nature in the way he describes Queenie, a rather young teenaged girl who, along with her friend, enter the supermarket in which Sammy works, in their bathing suits, and subsequently catches his eye. Sammy not only objectifies this young woman in his thoughts but he also deeply believes that by interfering between the girls and his boss, when they are in the midst of a confrontation regarding how the girls are dressed, is the way in which he will capture her attention and hopefully even his affections. Sammy’s aggression towards the female customer, at the very beginning of this story, exemplifies his feelings of superiority over women in general. It is this very superiority complex and contained aggression towards women that suggests that these tendencies apply to his day to day life including his sexual tendencies.

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”.

In John Updikes A&P, choices and consequences are portrayed as a fundamental and recurring theme throughout the story. Many can understand the idea of repercussions for specific decisions and actions, which makes this story very relatable to most audiences. The story encompasses numerous ideologies paramount to human development and philosophy. Dismantling the story can help depict underlain meanings and asses the ambiguous nature of humanity. The construct of A&P portrays Sammy’s journey through the societal establishment of rules and order, ultimately exposing the chain reaction repercussion of making difficult choices. Though many characters make choices throughout the story, Sammy is obliged to make

John Updike's short story "A & P" reveals nineteen-year old Sammy, the central character, as a complex person. Although Sammy appears, on the surface, as carefree and driven by male hormones, he has a lengthy agenda to settle. Through depersonalization, Sammy reveals his ideas about sexuality, social class, stereotypes, responsibility, and authority. Updike's technique, his motif, is repeated again and again through the active teenage mind of the narrator Sammy.

On the surface, the hero of John Updike's much-anthologized short story "A&P" does not seem like a hero on the level of an Odysseus or a Hercules. Sammy is a cashier at a local grocery store. However, when three girls wearing bathing suits enter the A&P, Sammy begins to experience a call to action. For the first time in his life, he takes a stand when he feels as if the pretty girls are being treated with a lack of respect. Sammy feels the first stirrings of rebellion within him, as he chafes against the constraints of his life. Campbell divides the three parts of the hero's quest into a circular journey of departure, initiation, and return. Over the course of "A&P" Sammy makes his 'departure' into the world of the hero.

At first read, John Updike's 'A & P' contrasts old and new; the old manager in his settled life conflicting with the new age of girls wearing bathing suits in buildings. All the while, the narrator stuck in the middle, finally deciding to join the side of new, or youth. Instead of old vs. new, an observation closer to the heart of the story is conflict between the worlds of the rich and the middle class. ?A & P? is the setting for one man to decide in which way he will seek to follow his life, standing on his own two feet and treating everyone as equals, or bowing before the wealthy, and searching for his own riches above all else.

Annotated Bibliography: In “A&P,” John Updike presents readers with an honest narrative structure that features unusual characterization. In the story, John Updike conveys the message of choices and consequences in Sammy’s life. However, as the story develops there is a deeper characterization that arises to the forefront.

The short stories "A&P" by John Updike and "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, Halfie" by Junot Diaz both discuss women through classification and symbolism. The short stories are

John Updike’s short story “A&P,” written in 1961, takes place in a small town in Massachusetts. Sammy, a 19-year-old young man, is a cashier for the A&P grocery store and the protagonist of this story. Sammy believes all people in his small town are sheep, or followers of others. Queenie, a patron of A&P, is considered the antithesis of a sheep who has a command presence. She is accompanied by two friends who flock to her like sheep following their Shepard. Lengel, the manager of A&P and a prude, embarrasses the three girls during check out. It was his belief that they should not be wearing bikinis in the store, and make themselves more presentable while shopping. After Lengel embarrasses the girls, Sammy decides to quit his job since he did not agree with Lengel. Sammy has gone against his manager, not following the herd in ridiculing the girls with Lengel. Herding can be hypothesized as a psychological and social trait present in human behavior which characteristically forces us to follow social norms.

Whether people are aware of it or not, stories make up a huge part of life. Everyone grew up hearing stories about a shady neighbor that might be a serial killer or how someone we knew accomplished an amazing feat that was impossible. These stories were told around the camp fire or at the dinner table to scare us or leave us with our mouths wide open wondering how in the world the character in the story fought off a ferocious beast. Either way, everybody loves a good story. Stories spark curiosity and get imaginations running wild. Some are true, others are stretching the truth a bit, and some do not have an ounce of truth in them. Stories have been around since the beginning of time. How else would we know what happened in the past? All the events were written down or passed down through generations through word of mouth. Stories can represent a time period. John Updike’s short story “A&P” represents the 1960’s perfectly. John was talented at incorporating issues into his stories. He was an excellent writer that received multiple awards for his works. Some would say all but the Nobel prize (Cooper). Rebellion, chivalry and the incorporation of issues from that time period make Updike’s story represent the 1960’s to a tee.