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.
Analytical essay of A&P by John Updike Gail Kelly; C0321148 Eng 160 This short story by John Updike is set in the North of Boston in 1961. During this time in history there were major political concerns as Cold War hysteria plagued most of the United States. The protagonist, Sammy, is a clerk at a grocery store who spends his lazy work days analyzing the patrons. On this particular day there is an attention-grabbing display happening in the store; three young girls are shopping in bikinis. Given that it is the 1960’s the idea of girls strolling around in bathing suits in public is out of the ordinary.
It begins with three young girls walking through the doors of the A & P in attire less than appropriate for the grocery store. They were in nothing than their bathing suites and were not even wearing shoes. Sammy has his eye on one of the girls he names Queenie and in a judgmental state of mind turns her into the leader of the group. He begins to describe her in many different ways and pays great attention to the details of the girls shown when he states, “ There
Discuss and analyse minor characters in ‘’A&P’’ and explain how they influence the reader’s perception of the main character. Thesis: In the short story ‘’A&P’’, Updike uses minor characters in order to shape the reader’s perception of the protagonist. Queenie: represents precocity and innocence, testing the boundaries of allowable behavior without fully grasping the implication of her actions until she is confronted and embrarrased by Lengel. → the leader of her group of friends, and she has clearly induced the other two girls into walking into the A&P wearing only their bathing suits. While the other girls seem awkward and , Queenie is unafraid by the disapproving glances of the other shoppers and the eager gazes of the male employees.
Sammy, the narrator of and cashier at A&P, is an opinionated, cynical, typical teenage boy with an obvious physical attraction to the opposite sex. Sammy is aware of everything around him and seems to have everybody figured out. From, according to Sammy, the witch-like customer whom he’s ringing up at the time he catches a glimpse of the three half-naked girls, to his coworker and manager. Sammy’s imperfections and narrow-mindedness are revealed by his particular observations. For example, the hanging bathing suit straps of one of the girls and the precise tan line boundaries of the other.
Though Karen’s thought process and the entire article many assumptions and hypothesis were made. Assumptions One assumption is that Karen was unjustly upset about her pay increase. Even though she got what she asked for, she felt cheated. Once she found out what others where making, Karen realized that she did not ask for enough. Karen may have been more upset at herself than her company.
Nohn Digker 01/18/2011 English 1102 Assignment -1 The Consequences of Choice In the story A & P, John Updike uses Sammy’s immaturity to show the consequences of choices. Sammy a typical teenager shows an immature behavior like most teens. From the moment the group of girls catch his eyes; he loses his attention and could not remember even if he had rang up the Hiho crackers in his hand. He finds himself following the path of the girls with his eyes as they go about their business looking for the product they have come in to buy. Wearing a bathing suit in a grocery store is more like being naked in public.
Dressed in bathing suits and lacking shoes, this was something Sammy had never seen in the store before. The in-depth description of the girls shows the “type” of girls that they are. Sammy being so intrigued by the “Queen,” allows for a foreshadowing of events to come involving Sammy and the girls. The stores policy was that all guests must be properly dressed. Sammy knew this, but didn’t mind too much because of his infatuation with the change in norm.
But the end of the story, he refuses to be stuck in the same job for many years or possibly the rest of his life. One day while working at the store, Sammy notices three girls, who are wearing swim suits because the beach with even bear foot is close walk in store. When the girls reach the register the manager Lengel notices the girls. He walks over to them and argues with them for a moment and then girls leave with shame. Sammy didn’t understand why the manager had such a
Remy Mermelstein March 25, 2014 English 9 Honors/K. O’Connor Period 4 A&P/Brain Essay Remy Mermelstein - March 2014 In John Updikes short story, A&P, the impulsive and rebellious behavior of Sammy and the girls is highlighted in relation to the logical and more socially un-awkward adults. A normal day at an A&P is punctured by the rash and unexpected decisions of teenagers in a sort of coming of age story of a boy [Sammy] realizing his stance in the world working in an A&P in the middle of nowhere, with no sign of a really good future while he admires three girls who to him seem to be way out. Three girls walk into the A&P, wearing nothing but bathing suits in a place far from any water or beach and immediately captivated nearly everyone in sight. The girl’s decision to walk into a public store in bikinis suggests that they really do not care what other people think about them, almost as if they are at the top of the