Literary Criticism for John Updike "A&P"

Literary Criticisms on John Updike’s “A&P”
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11/21/13

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Introduction:
John Updike is considered to be one of the greatest modern American writers. He was able to use his All-American upbringing as inspiration for a lot of his writing, making it relatable to many people. Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1932. He moved around in the area during his childhood, and the rural Pennsylvania setting of his youth is often reflected in his writing. His father was a school teacher and his mother was an aspiring writer. He excelled in school, and worked for his local newspaper. Updike was granted a scholarship to Harvard, and went on to study at Oxford in England. He was first published in 1958, and released a book of poetry. He continued to be published, and in 1963 he received the National Book Award for his book entitled The Centaur. The next year he became the youngest person ever elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Updike consistently wrote throughout the 60s and 70s. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for his novel Rabbit is Rich, and again in 1991 for Rabbit at Rest. He continued to write into his later years. John Updike died in Massachusetts at the age of 76 due to lung cancer (http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/upd0bio-1). The following series of published literary criticisms focus on John Updike’s short story “A&P.” It is one of his more famous short stories. The selected critiques analyze the story in terms of its style, theme, or literary devices. Subsequent to the article responses is a literary criticism based on a personal reflection to the story and its ties to modern society using evidence from the original text.

Title of Source: The art of John Updike’s “A&P”
Author: Toni Saldivar
Search Engine: ProQuest Literature Module
Website: ProQuest
Web Address: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.barry.edu

Abstract:

Cited: Bentley, Greg W.. "Sammy 's Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updike 's 'A & P '." Journal of the Short Story In English 43 (2004): 121-141. Gale Group. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Dessner, Lawrence Jay. "Irony and Innocence in John Updike 's 'A&P '." Studies in Short Fiction 25.3 (1998): 315-317. Gale Group. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. "John Updike Biography." -- Academy of Achievement. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. . Saldivar, Toni. "The art of John Updike 's "A&P"." Studies in Short Fiction 1 (1997): 215-225. ProQuest Central. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. The Satirical Appeal of “A&P” in Past and Contemporary Media The following essay is a literary criticism of John Updike’s well known short story “A&P.” The story was popular when it was first published in the 1960s, and remains popular today. Some stories are able to retain a timeless appeal. Themes like sex and youth coming to mature realizations are still popular tools for modern writers. Updike’s satirical approach in “A&P” makes it a relatable story for other pieces of literature, but also modern media such as television and film. 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. Many of the modern television shows and movies use similar themes and subject matter as “A&P.” Things like young girls trying to appear older than they are, an awkward young man coming to terms with his sexuality, and the idea of conventional masculinity are all commonly found in the media. The question of how an adolescent girl’s mind works is that one that cannot be easily answered, but attempts are often made. The character of Sammy is virtually clueless about females, and Updike makes this obvious, “You never know for sure how girl’ minds work (do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?).” When this story was written the dynamic between young men and women was not as readily explored, but today it is a source of entertainment. High school dramas have taken over prime time television. However, this story is not one of drama, but rather ironic humor. The reader anticipates Sammy to act like a typical teenage boy, and mirror the actions of his coworker. Instead, he connects to them on a more emotional level, which leads him to act irrationally. Updike turns what could have been another typical teenage story into a satire of society’s expectations on sexuality and gender.