Free Essays on A&P

I decided to write my response essay on John Updike's short story "A&P". When 19-year-old Sammy was first introduced, he was working at A&P, as a cashier, for a summer job. He soon becomes bored, and annoyed at having to deal with "one of these cash register watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows" (267). There is a sense that he is, annoyed with adults, especially those much older than he is such as "women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs and nobody" (269). He is bored with his town and it's "two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and the three real-estate offices" (269). However, when three girls stroll into the A&P, they all seem to catch Sammy's eye. One is "a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs" (267). Another was "a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of those sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long" (268). The one that really catches Sammy’s eye, nevertheless, is "the queen," the one who "kind of leads" the other two. (268) Sammy is fascinated by Queenie, as he calls her, with her beige bathing suit with a little nub all over it," her "white prima donna legs," and her walk, which causes her to come down "a little hard on her heels, as if she didn’t walk in her bare feet that much" (268). The presence of the three girls strikes Sammy and some on the other shoppers as well. The shoppers then looked around after pushing their ca rts past to make sure that they had seen was correct. Sammy observes the three of them carefully, watching, as they move about the store in search of something. When he looses sight of them, "the whole store becomes like a pinball machine"(269) Sammy, watching and waiting impatiently, to see what aisle the girls mig... Free Essays on A&P Free Essays on A&P The A&P John Updike uses Sammy’s attitude toward the people and the town along with the setting of the dreary atmosphere of the A&P to exhibit his change from a young, immature boy to a man who is finally ready to experience the fruits of growing up. Sammy’s attitude toward the people and the town is consistently negative. The locals, which he describes as being â€Å"north of Boston-where there’s been people in this town that haven’t seen the ocean for 20 years† go on as if their lives are a meaningless, mediocre array of events, and Sammy doesn’t believe that this is the way to live. His life takes a sudden turn when the girls came along. Such rebellious behavior as going down the aisle the wrong way or wearing a bathing suit into the store instantaneously seized Sammy’s attention. The locals, as well as Sammy’s manager, were bewildered to see such unconventional behavior. These rebellious girls, Queenie, in particular, seemed to hold a certain fascination over him, as he goes into great detail over the girl’s looks. He sort of sees them as objects, and doesn’t give much respect to them. As the story progresses, Sammy is not bitter toward them, but actually seems to become more fond of them. By the end of the story, Sammy feels a sense of empathy for the girls, perhaps embarrassment over the way they were treated by his manager. He then begins to see the girls as humans and quits his job, hoping to be their unseen hero. To no such avail, Sammy is overwhelmed with the immense change his life will be going through. Updike uses two types of setting, beginning with a manufactured setting, the A&P. Sammy’s job as a clerk at the A&P is of comfort and stability in a little, routine-oriented community just north of Boston. It is clear by Sammy’s description of the people as sheep and pigs and the store with its â€Å"checker-board green-and-cream rubber-tile floor† and florescent lights that ... Free Essays on A&P In John Updike’s â€Å"A&P,† Sammy a nineteen year old checker at a local grocery store meets three bathing beauties who inadvertently end up affecting his entire life. It is a summer day as Sammy is tending to duties at his third slot register, when three girls scantily attired in two piece bathing suits and without shoes on, walk in. As Sammy is attempting to ring up their purchase, Mr. Lengel, the manager of the A&P, walks up to the girls to inform them that this isn’t the beach and they are improperly dressed to be shopping in this store. They are asked to dress decently the next time they come in. Noticing one of the girls blushing, Sammy decides to impress them and tells Lengel he is quitting. Realizing that Sammy is attempting to play hero in front of the girls, Lengel gives him a chance to change his mind. Although Sammy agrees with Lengel that this action will not be soon forgotten, he decides to go through with his decision. Updike suggests that adoles cence is an impulsive age as well as a rite of passage into adult hood. The author has chosen to present this story through first person point of view. Updike allows Sammy, the main character, to narrate, giving the reader insight to his personality and background. Since this story revolves around an adolescent’s world, it is appropriate for this story that we listen through his eyes, biased as it may be. As we listen to Sammy’s vivid descriptions and sense his awe of the situation, we know that uncontrolled hormones command his young mind. Although some critics question Updike’s use of sexual overtones and exploitation of women in several of his writings (ACC par.1), this story would not have provided the reader insight to the raging hormones of Sammy, had the author chosen a less descriptive method of story telling. Updike’s sexual descriptions allude to the thoughts of adolescent boys of this age group. The A&P grocery chain, officially known as th... Free Essays on A&P Analyses of â€Å"A&P† John Updike is the author of a short story entitled â€Å"A&P†. The main character of this story is a young teenaged boy named Sammy who is the protagonist as well as the dynamic character. He is a cashier at the local A&P grocery store in a old fashion community. Sammy’s co-worker Stokesie is a cashier at the register next to him, he is one of the static characters that never really changes or evolves. Another, character of his kind who does not affect the plot in any way is McMahon the butcher. Sammy’s boss on the other hand is the antagonist of the story as well as the character that helps the climax develop. Updike’s story is a bit sexist also, he does not name any of the women characters. Instead, he substitutes their real names for other names such as Queenie, Sheep and Houseslaves. Queenie is the ringleader of her group of friends, and also what one would label a flat character. Updike never reveals to the reader the personalities of Queenie’ s friends. Instead, he describes them as sheep that trace every step of their friend Queenie. Updike’s other static characters are the houseslaves, which are really the local house wives that make there daily trip into the local A&P. John Updike’s story â€Å"A&P† mirrors each stage of Gustav Freytag’s pyramid with some stages overlapping the other. Freytag’s Pyramid is a diagram that labels each sequence of a plot starting with the introduction or exposition. Updike’s exposition establishes the setting, Sammy’s character traits is by far the most developed stage in his story it introduces the setting, main characters. Sammy is the cashier that is telling this story from his point of view. The opening sentence reads â€Å"In walk the three girls in nothing but bathing suits† (Updike 125). These words jump out at the reader immediately catching ones attention. Updike focuses on building Sammy’s character traits rather than establishing the settin... Free Essays on A&P â€Å"A&P† Every story has a main character in which at some point in time has a crucial moment when an important decision must be made. These main characters must take actions or avoid certain actions in order to complete the true meaning and message of the story. A story written in 1961 by John Updike called â€Å"A&P,† portrayed a young man leading the ordinary life as expected of an ordinary young man. Sammy, the young, man is working in a local grocery store in town about five miles from a populated shore area. However, he sees his life as plain and dull, working so close to the beach, yet everyday he lives up to the same predictable habits. Until one day a group of girls are in the store in only bathing suits, and Sammy begins to change his patterns of thought. The major action that Sammy (the main character) takes is his final decision in the end to quit his job at the grocery store. Perhaps it was the girls that motivated him to take this course of action. However, could it have been that Sammy had a rude awakening that there is much more to be taken in from the world than a life lived inside a boring grocery store, in a boring town? Sure, maybe Sammy was so self indulged in these girls noticing their every move and the way they walked, that he just couldn’t stand being like a caged animal in that dry predictable grocery store. â€Å"She had oaky hair that the sun and salt had bleached, done up in a bun that was unraveling,† Sammy notices as the girls stroll about the store. After being subject to the same process everyday, especially a teenage boy, one can tend to get a feeling of tediousness and dissatisfaction. To Sammy, these girls were the relief he needed to disregard his uneventful life. However, this may just be a lonely teenage boy’s perspective on the entire situation. A few teenage girls walk in a store with bikini’s and the boy ends up quitting to stand out and have a slight chance at impressin... Free Essays on A&P I decided to write my response essay on John Updike's short story "A&P". When 19-year-old Sammy was first introduced, he was working at A&P, as a cashier, for a summer job. He soon becomes bored, and annoyed at having to deal with "one of these cash register watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows" (267). There is a sense that he is, annoyed with adults, especially those much older than he is such as "women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs and nobody" (269). He is bored with his town and it's "two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and the three real-estate offices" (269). However, when three girls stroll into the A&P, they all seem to catch Sammy's eye. One is "a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs" (267). Another was "a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of those sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long" (268). The one that really catches Sammy’s eye, nevertheless, is "the queen," the one who "kind of leads" the other two. (268) Sammy is fascinated by Queenie, as he calls her, with her beige bathing suit with a little nub all over it," her "white prima donna legs," and her walk, which causes her to come down "a little hard on her heels, as if she didn’t walk in her bare feet that much" (268). The presence of the three girls strikes Sammy and some on the other shoppers as well. The shoppers then looked around after pushing their c arts past to make sure that they had seen was correct. Sammy observes the three of them carefully, watching, as they move about the store in search of something. When he looses sight of them, "the whole store becomes like a pinball machine"(269) Sammy, watching and waiting impatiently, to see what aisle the girls mig...