Choice In John Updike's The A & P

Does The Choice Matter? Sometimes the characters of a story do not have a choice in the outcome of their fate. In other cases, the characters have the ability to choose the outcome. John Updike’s “The A&P,” portrays the freedom of choice. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe provide a lack of choice for their characters. “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner takes a different route in which the character transitions between a life without choice and one with the power to take things to the extreme. In these four short stories the element of choice noticeably varies. The main character, Sammy of “The A&P,” struggles with choosing between the decision to stand up for what he deems morally appropriate, or the option to ignore the mistreatment of three strangers. Unsure of the consequences, this supermarket hero risks his job for the trio of young ladies whom he had never come in contact with before. His irksome attitude toward the customers displays the true feelings he holds for his grocery store career. “I pull the bow at the back of my apron and start shrugging it off my shoulders. A couple customers that had been heading for my slot begin to knock
The people of the town noticed the obvious lack of independence in Miss Emily’s life before her father passed. “We remembered all the young men that her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.” After the death of her father, she was faced with the reality of needing to carry responsibility for her own life. Miss Emily, finally free of her tormentous girlhood, suddenly became able to make choices for herself. Even with questionable acts, this character further demonstrated her independence by taking