Trice 1 Chancelor Trice Mrs. Edgmon English 1301 13 february 2012 Analysis of "A & B" In the analysis of A & B John Updike uses a good narration process. Right from the start i noticed that John Updike main character of the short story is a young man Sammy. Sammy works in the A & B. The A & B is a grocery store in the center of a small city near the ocean. The short story is manly based on four character's, sammy one the the cash register clerks, and three girls who walk into the store.
The imagery used by both authors display how they view life at their point in time. In both of these writings the point of view is from an employee who works in the store observing the patrons who visit there. In “A&P” Updike sets the scene by the clerk, Sammy, in the third check out slot who is captivated by three young ladies who enter the store in merely bathing suits. The clerks can usually make assumptions of their life based on the products they purchase and they way they do it. Sammy watches these three girls and gives them labels of to what role each plays, from “the queen” who “kind of led them” to “the kind of girl other girls think is very ‘striking’ and ‘attractive’ but never quite makes it” and “the chunky one” (page 289) by the way they walk around the supermarket.
When she puts the snacks down on the counter, Sammy sees that her hands are free. While he is pondering where the cash is going to originate from, she continues to force the dollar bank notes "out of the empty at the focal point of her nubbled pink top" (Updike 1027). This motion places Sammy altogether wonderment of the young lady, and this is the defining moment, this is the point at which he settles on his choice that he ought to attempt to awe her. His huge chance comes when the store chief, Lengel, makes a visit to Sammy's line. "Young ladies, this isn't the shoreline," is the first thing Lengel says to the young ladies when he sees them (Updike 1028).
Her blonde hair held so high with hairspray, And the thousands of questions that come every day. She must not think before she speaks, Obviously her brain cells must are extremely weak. “Like,” pours out of her mouth every other word, And her “That’s hot!” motto is just absurd. When you talk to her you receive a blank stare. It’s because she spends that time twirling her hair.
This obviously showing that the author isn’t a pretty girl. She doesn’t deny the fact that she is fat or otherwise she will be left like “Forgotten Jelly”. Cassie on the other hand knows she is pretty and does everything to look prettier to attract the opposite sex. In reality this is seen every day. Most women these days would do anything to look pretty and attract the opposite sex.
We, the reader, can identify with the character and experience their deepest, innermost thoughts and feelings". The development of Sammy and his character throughout the story is done without the usage of any other mechanisms other than the general use of his thoughts and actions. For instance, at the beginning of the story when the young girls come in the grocery store they catch Sammy’s eye based off their physical attraction, stating "In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits... The one that caught my eye first was the on in the plaid green two-piece." (Pg.
A&P Analysis John Hoyer Updike’s short story “A&P” shows an eighteen-year-olds’ point of view of a 1960’s era grocery store. The dynamic protagonist, Sammy, explains the mundane lifestyles of the customers in the store based on his observations from the checkout counter. Suddenly the store is disrupted by three girls that enter the store wearing only bathing suits and defy the organization of the business. Sammy wants to change his cookie cutter lifestyle; after observing the girls, he realizes he does not have to conform to the social standards he was lead to believe. Sammy observes the patrons of A&P mundanely going about their shopping, like “sheep pushing their carts down the aisle” (6).
Only a select few have what it takes to be an everyday lunch lady. She makes sure the children that eat the frozen foods thank God every night for each well made, home cooked meal they have. She makes them pray that they don’t have to eat her lunch for every meal. She stimulates the economy by making sure children go and buy food and lunches from stores instead of in school; a job only a lunch lady can do. The lunch lady possesses many virtues in this world.
Response Paper: A&P The short story, “A & P” by John Updike is a about a teenager named Sammy that works at a grocery store. In the story, three girls walk into the store in nothing but bathing suits and we follow Sammy’s reaction to the events that occur because of them. This story relates to my life because I also work at a grocery store. While I was reading this I felt like I could relate to many of the things that Sammy had to go through while he was working. The first thing that I related to from the story was the way that Sammy felt when he accidentally made a mistake with a customer’s order.
In the story A&P by John Updike, the story is told by Sammy, a nineteen year old cashier, in first person narration. Sammy is an immature, observational teenager with a healthy interest in girls. There are many examples that show this behavior and it is displayed when three girls walk into the store one day in provocative beachwear. Sammy analyzes the girls bit by bit who were very noticeable and how they standed out among the rest so much, ultimately causing Sammy to ring up and old lady’s crackers twice. Sammy infers this one girl is the queen and infers that this queen who he ends up calls Queenie is showing them how to walk and keep their posture.