Preview

I Quit By John Updike Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
308 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
I Quit By John Updike Analysis
Lastly, John Updike makes it exceptionally clear that Sammy, who is narrator of the story and the cashier that had a first-hand account of the embarrassing interaction between the store manager and the three girls, represents the slow transformation of America from a patriarchal society to one with equal rights and social acceptance for both men and women. Updike represents the transition of America from a patriarchal society to one with equal social rights for men and women is embodied through Sammy’s most drastic action in the short story, when he declares to the manager, Lengel, “I quit” (Updike). Sammy’s brave action embodies the miniscule amount men who defied American popular culture and supported the second wave of feminism and defiance

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Throughout the essay, Saunders uses vivid contrast, and personal reflections to reveal the relationship between gender roles of men and women, and the social class they fall into. With his early use of contrast, reflection, and narration, Sanders uses memories of his personal up bringing in order to expose his initial perspective of the duties men and women are subject to. On one hand, he proclaims that the men he views throughout his childhood are ones that are “killing themselves or preparing to kill others” (295). This conveys how they vigorously strain their bodies to bring money into the family, and prepare to go to war. However, on the other hand he also emphasizes that in his mind women live freer and less confining lives than men since they work in “handsomer places than any factory” (295). Growing up within a mid century lower class, Sanders is exposed to the “toiling” (293) and strenuous lives of the many male figures surrounding him. This initially shapes his “early vision of manhood”(293) and enables him to obtain a personal perspective and prejudice of what role men should play in a typical society. Nevertheless, Sanders also details how his fathers ability to obtain an important office job within his company, allows Sanders and his family to move upwards into a higher social class. This movement permits him to attend college where he meets the daughters of high status jobholders. These women accuse Sanders that because of his male sex, he is destined to “become like their…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In my story ¨The Fight¨ by Adam Bagdasarian the theme/claim is that he is determined. He is scared,nerves,and brave. Have you ever ment someone determined? Well, Will is one of those people. He has never been in a fight and now he has to fight.…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Updike's A & P

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis: In the short story of “A&P” by John Updike, he used the event of the girl’s coming into Sammy’s store to portray that people aren’t always as they seem. Sammy thought that by standing up for these girls, he would become a hero and they would recognize him for what he had done. Until the moment he walked outside, “I look around for my girls, but they…

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "How should women be treated?" Women should be treated with respect, and they should not be embarrassed by any man. In the story "A+P," a young boy, who is named Sammy, stands up for what he believes is right. He shows how he feels about the way his manager treats three girls who came into the store that he works at.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Conformity: Sammy Quits to Rеjеct thе Amеrican Drеam In thе short story, “A & P,” by John Updikе. This Story takеs placе in 1961, in a small Nеw еngland town's A&P grocеry storе. Thе main charactеr Sammy is a young man who works at thе local grocеry storе callеd A & P. Hе finds himsеlf fascinatеd by a particular group of girls.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, Sammy's discussion with the reader about the typical shopper develops into social commentary when he describes customers' behavior that reflects conformity of society- Also, when he talks about Stoksie's life and goals/dreams...When Sammy notices that the three girls walk the opposite direction down the aisles, he realizes that they stand out as nonconformists in a sea of "sheep," the narrative changes as Sammy becomes aware of his part in the conformity and the the reader sees that he does not like it. When the manager speaks rudely to the girls about their lack of clothing, Sammy notices that Lengel punishes them for their nonconformity. In what looks like a typical macho behavior and possible attempt to attract the girls' attention, Sammy quits. However, he has decided not to participate in the conformity of society when he tells Lengel "-----."…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story, “A & P” John Updike uses characterization and irony to portray Sammy, the main character, as a young individual who struggles with morality and lust. Women dressed in inappropriate clothing causes Sammy’s morals to shift and ultimately leads him to quit his job.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First, the way Sammy sees the regular customers reveals that he is a dynamic character. In the beginning, Sammy is at the cash register checking out a “witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows” (Updike 18). The reader can tell Sammy has strong perspective on the customers that come in to the store. He sees them as disgusting, evil, lifeless and dead by the descriptions he gives the audience. As the story continues, Sammy looks down the lane and notices “the sheep pushing their carts down the aisle— [while] the girls were walking against the usual traffic” (20). The girls’ unorthodox direction represents Sammy noticing that the customers are followers-- not wanting to break the cycle like the girls. From the description Sammy gives, the reader notices that he does not want to be like the customers, following the same rules, guidelines, and policies. By the end of the story, the girls are stopped by Lengel, the manager, when they reach the check-out lanes. The customers that were showing up, “like sheep, seeing a scene,” crowded around Stokesie’s lane to avoid any confrontation that was happening out of the usual (22). Sammy’s way of describing what the regular customers would do in a tough situation makes him wonder if this is the type of life he…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In John Updike's short story A & P, a young man named Sammy takes witness to what he sees as an injustice happening to a group of bikini-clad teenage girls in the grocery store in which he works. He takes a bold step and decides he would rather not work for a manager that decided to embarrass the young girls in front of everyone instead of addressing them privately, so he quits. The bold step that he takes is part of his initiation into adulthood. Updike develops the initiation through the story and it becomes the central theme.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Updike’s “A&P” is a prime example of how standing up for one’s morals does not always reap a reward. As a young writer, Updike witnesses several young girls in their swimsuits cruising the aisles of his local grocery and thus became the short story “A&P.” Sammy, a nineteen-year-old store clerk in a small New England town, quits his job over an issue of principles, an action that both changes and defines his character. Bikini clad young ladies become somewhat a rite of passage for our young narrator and protagonist, which leaves Sammy feeling at the end both triumphant and sad, both a winner and a loser.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A&P by John Updike is told as an old memory from 19-year old Sammy’s perspective as he works his cashier job at an A&P grocery store. He recalls a day when he was working his job and three girls walked in wearing only bathing suits. From the very moment the girls walked in, his job slips his mind and they are the only thing holding Sammy’s attention, costing him his job and future.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A&P Carter

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Updike is best known for his realistic and often sexually explicit novels such as this short story. The story take place in an A&P supermarket which back then is was part of the biggest food retailing chain in the United States during the middle of the twentieth century. This story is narrated by Sammy, a young cashier at the supermarket A & P. The grocery store is in a small Massachusetts town. It was a Thursday afternoon Sammy, the 19 year old narrator of "A&P," notice three girls in bathing suits entering his store, which is otherwise mostly populated with middle aged housewives. Things were going OK until Lengel the manager showed up. The girls are in Sammy's checkout lane preparing to pay and be on their way. But Lengel feels the need to tell them they are not dressed right for the A&P. Sammy doesn't like the way Lengel treats the girls, so, after ringing them up, he quits his job. This is certainly a climactic moment in Sammy's life the first time he is ever quit a job, and the story's big emotional moment. The story ends with Sammy alone outside in the parking lot. As he watches his ex boss through the windows doing his old job, Sammy feels a sense of fear, a feeling that quitting his job really will make things harder for him in the future.…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story is set in a small New England town, and it is an average day. Three young girls enter the store where Sammy, a young cashier, works. He watches and analyzes their every move, and tries to guess their personalities based on body language. Sammy identifies the leader girl as “Queenie,” and takes most interest in her. The girls are only dressed in bathing suits, and gain the attention of the other men working in the store as well. This causes tension between the male characters, and causes Sammy to wonder about his own future in comparison to his male peers. Sammy does not like seeing the girls being objectified. The manager kicks the girls out based on their inappropriate attire. In an unexpected response and strange attempt to honor the girls, Sammy quits the job, and leaves the store, but immediately is overwhelmed by the uncertain consequences his actions will bring.…

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Was It Worth It?

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The story is told by the protagonist whose name is Sammy. Sammy was a 19 year old boy that worked in a local A&P store. One day Sammy encountered a group of girls dressed in skimpy bathing suits. These girls symbolized everything that Sammy wanted in his life. These girls gave Sammy the courage to stand up to his boss and quit his job. When it came to Sammy quitting his job, several things motivated him to do so. First, we know Sammy 's desire to prove to the girls that he was not like everyone else motivated him because Sammy states, "so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they 'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero (p. 359)." Second, Sammy tells us "All of a sudden I slid right down her voice into her living room (p. 358)." Sammy 's desire to…

    • 826 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The characters of Sammy and the three girls are symbolic of the rebellious youth in he 1960's.Youth is significant in this story. Sammy is only 19 years old, and the girls are younger than he. The three girls walk in wearing very scandalous clothing. The choice the girls make is to walk into an A & P with nothing on but their bathing suits this is a conscious decision, this is not by mistake. They are young, but they are also sexual beings, proud of who they are and what they have. They are aware of Sammy watching them, and they are half self-conscious and half exhilarated by his attention. This shows that these young people may lack the ability to vote but they still have the choices in what do to and what rules to follows. These decisions based on their choices often go against strong force of the generation before them. The biggest reaction to this powerful rebellion is the reaction from the older people in the store.…

    • 1156 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays