A critique of “A&P” by John Updike
“I said I quit.” Sometimes you must stand up for your beliefs weather you’re right, wrong, or indifferent. While reading A&P a couple different themes were found. For example chivalry is most definitely present. “..remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me scrunchy inside..”(31) Sammy has shown chivalry by quitting his job for the sole fact that his employer has disrespected three females and he just won’t stand for it. Many feel that nowadays chivalry is dead, but this is a real life example of when it was a common gesture. Another theme I found is upper class versus working class. The store manager of the A&P Lengel felt as if he was above the working class by thinking he could confront any customer without repercussion. Dialogue in this short story is very clear and easy to under stand. Although the dialogue is clear, very understandable, has a good setting, and the ending gives Sammy, the narrator, a sense of accomplishment, the story doesn’t satisfy an overall purposeful meaning.
“A & P” by John Updike is based in a small town in the northeastern part of the United States five miles from the beach. Updike does a great job creating imagery in this short story. The Narrator is a cashier at a local supermarket named the A & P. Updike starts out with the narrator named Sammy who observes three young women who walk into the store wearing their swimming suites. Sammy and his coworker Stokesie greatly adore the three young ladies just waiting for them to checkout so they will have a chance to talk to them. These three are described with great detail by Sammy. “Girls this isn’t a beach.”(13) Lengel is a very prominent church going man, and I get the think that he feels that he is above certain people. According to Sammy not much gets past him. (13) Lengel sternly tells the girls that their attire isn’t going to fly with him. The attractive girls feel very embarrassed, and this upsets the Narrator. Everyone in the store find their attire to be odd due to the fact that they’re a few miles away from the beach, but not disturbing. They’re informed that they must be dressed properly before entering the store next time, and a scene made out of what Sammy thinks shouldn’t be a big deal. Sammy as a hopeless romantic is appalled once he rings up the three women he quits his job hoping that they will stop for him. By the time Sammy reaches the parking lot the beautiful women have vanished. As he leaves he sees Lengel his manager is forced to take his place on the register. This gives him some feeling of accomplishment. Even though he feels that he will soon regret his hasty decision. This is the literary element of the story that is the weakest link. The plot is missing the big crisis or problem that creates a great story. Also at the end of the story the reader is left hanging. We don’t know what happen to Sammy weather he got a new job, went to college or exactly what happens in the next chapter of his life.
The Essay on Initiation Story Grocery Store
... have selected. Then Lengel, the manager of the store, enters and embarrasses the girls for their attire. As a result, Sammy quits his job ... at the A&P. This short story is ... Initiation story "A&P", written by John Updike, is based on a moment in the life of a cashier. He was known as Sammy ...
The Setting as described above takes place in a supermarket in the early 1960s located in Massachusetts, and the town is located nearly five miles from the Atlantic Ocean. This piece of information is important because of the fact that three young women that walk in are wearing nothing but their bathing suits. This would be expected in a tourist beach town but not somewhere miles from the beach. The character include the narrator, Sammy, his coworker Stokesie, Lengel the store manager, and the three very attractive young women who walk into the store. Stokesie is mainly mentioned in the story to set up the ending when Sammy leaves. Otherwise who would help run the supermarket. Lengel plays a bigger role than Stokesie in that he creates the so called drama in the story. Updike describes the girls in the story most putting an emphasis on their looks. This helps show how Sammy is a chivalric romantic who cares more about females than his own well being.
The Essay on Three Girl Story Sammy Girls
The short story "A & P" by John Updike is a descriptive short story. Updike writes the story from a viewpoint of a young man, about 19 years old, named Sammy who works as a cashier at a supermarket. The story contains many descriptive phrases about the three young girl's flesh. For example, .".. a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white ...
Updike does a really good job of imagery when describing the three ladies who walk into A & P. The chubby one had “one of those chubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, with black hair that hadn’t quite fizzed right, and a chin that was too long…then the third one, who wasn’t quite so tall. She was the queen.”(2).
Giving us a brief description really paints a picture, and gives the reader a sense of being there witnessing these events as they unfold. Sammy seems to have a slight attraction to the one known as the chubby one. For example “Queenie’s blush is no sunburn now, and the plump one in plaid, that I liked better from the back-a really sweet can-pipes up..”(16) . Even though a little inappropriate it describes the physical attraction Sammy has for her, and also the reader feels as if we are walking behind said girl.
The overall purpose in this short story is a little unclear, but it seems that Sammy isn’t very social inclined with females so he has a chance to interact with a few and takes advantage. I also sense Sammy is very chivalric romantic who cares more about the act of chivalry than his own well being. In conclusion great imagery is used throughout the story, the precise dialogue used is very easy to understand, and the setting is a great place for an exciting story. However the plot is lacking a problem or crisis, and there is not a clear overall point to the story.
