Preview

A & P By John Updike Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
470 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A & P By John Updike Analysis
Unusual. In the short story “A&P” by John Updike, Sammy is a young man working at an A&P in the 1960’s with many other men. One day three girls walk into the store and blow Sammy away. Nothing on but bathing suits. Soon Sammy’s old and rotten manager Lengel yells at the girls. Sammy quits his job after this. But did he really quit just because those girls got yelled at? No. Sammy quit his job because he realized the job was turning him into Lengel. When Lengel yelled at the girls in line 193-261, it was almost as if Sammy was looking into his future. This job was turning him into a sheep (93-100), and he didn’t like it. The first piece of evidence for my claim is that he realizes this is a dead end job and Lengel is probably at his potential
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How Does The Struggle In John Updike's A & P
    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Does The Struggle In John Updike's A & P

    “A&P” by John Updike features a meek cashier boy, Sammy, who has conformed to the boring lifestyle of his small town. When three girls prance into the store in swimsuits and become the most excitement the store has seen in decades, Sammy finds himself entranced by their rebellious spirit. The leader of the three girls enchants him with her beauty, confidence, and free spirit. He wants her and wants her to notice him, but he knows she won’t. When his boss, the one who subjects him to conformity, chastises the three girls, Sammy feels the need to do something for them. Sammy breaks free from his meek shell and confronts his boss by quitting on the spot. His boss tries to reel him back in with logic, but against his better judgement, Sammy carries…

    • 175 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Trough the eyes of a 19-year-old
    • 842 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Trough the eyes of a 19-year-old

    The rules of employment for any job play an important role for anyone, but Sammy decided to ignore the rules he thought was pointless in hopes of the girls not thinking he was a square for enforcing the store policy. Because of the three girls walking in wearing nothing but bathing suits, instead of him telling them to cover-up or leave, he says to himself," the one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece. She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-dash looking can with those two crescents of white just under it." He shows his disregard for the establishment he is working for by ignoring customers in his line due to erotic thoughts of the young women in bathing suits. Other than being attentive to the task at hand, he ends up scanning " the no eyebrow witch's HiHo crackers twice." Also in Sammy's immature ideas he says, " women generally put on a shirt, shorts, or something before they get out of the car, but these women usually have six children and varicose veins." Sammy himself chooses whom the rules should or should not apply to when in all actuality the rules should be administered to every customer.…

    • 842 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    An Analysis Of John Updike's A & P
    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages

    An Analysis Of John Updike's A & P

    A&P begins with Sammy working a dull and an uneventful day when observes the three teenage girls who enter the store not knowing they will be part of a major change his…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dynamic Character In John Updike's A & P
    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dynamic Character In John Updike's A & P

    He is stuck in a dull world, with the "sheep" and the "freeloaders". His compares himself to his co-worker, Stokesie, by claiming "Stokesie 's married, with two babies chalked up on his fuselage already, but as far as I can tell that 's the only difference". (Kirszner & Mandell, 127). Stokesie 's goal is to become the manager of the store. If Sammy continued on his course at the A & P, he took would end up just like Stokesie. Sammy wants to be free spirited, he wants to break rules. When the store manager, Lengel, approaches the girls and confronts them for wearing swimsuits, Sammy begins to break free of his dull world. He wants to show the girls that he does not stand with Lengel, he stands with them. He quits quickly and without thought, saying "I quit" loud enough for the girls to hear them. He wants them to hear him, he wants them to realize that he is not one of the store workers, not one of the sheep or the…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rebellion In John Updike's A & P
    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page

    Rebellion In John Updike's A & P

    Sammy gave up his job in order to impress Queenie. In doing so he demonstrated a fearless stupidity. Despite all his efforts to get the girl to notice him, he walked away with no reward. Although he did it in order to woo Queenie, Sammy is somewhat a hero of justice. He stood up for the week, and defended her against a prejudice villain. His boss chose to attack the girls in front of everyone, making them look like fools. Sammy only did what he thought was right.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Characterization And Irony In John Updike's A & P
    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Characterization And Irony In John Updike's A & P

    The author, John Updike, uses characterization to expose Sammy’s true character. Sammy is baffled that the store manager, Lengel, would embarrass the girls in front of everyone. In their defense he stands up to Lengel and scolds him for rebuking the girl’s outfit choices. After the girls leave he then quits his job. When he quits the manager even warns him that “[he’ll] feel this for the rest of [his] life”, but Sammy follows through with his plan. Although he does…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Setting In John Updike's A & P
    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Setting In John Updike's A & P

    The setting helps contribute to the insight, knowledge and understanding to the meaning of many stories. In the short story “A & P” by John Updike, the setting helps bring to life the conformity and dehumanization in an everyday life. It shows that breaking the norm of society is unacceptable.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Importance Of Perception In John Updike's A & P
    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Importance Of Perception In John Updike's A & P

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Updikes A&P
    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    John Updikes A&P

    The text makes it obvious that Sammy does not hold very much respect according to society. Sammy makes a common mistake by ringing in a woman’s groceries twice and receives hell in doing so. If the woman felt she and Sammy were equals she most likely would have treated him differently and shown more respect. Stokesie and Sammy seem to have a good rapport. Sammy states that he and Stokesie are very similar to one another and it seems like they are able to joke with each other often. Later, when Sammy confronts Lengel and quits Lengel gives the impression he is looking out for Sammy since he is friends with his parents and does not think he will actually follow through with quitting. The girls do not think anything of Sammy. They pay very little attention to him while in the store and leave without a word after he quits. To them he was just another cashier.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Updike's Short Story A & P
    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John Updike's Short Story A & P

    He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that quitting his job would haunt him for the rest of his life, but still he went through with it. This says something about his character, he’s a go getter and wants more from life and he has finally put his foot down and is going to set out on his journey to find what he really wants from life. Although, at the end of the story it says, “Looking back in the big windows, over the bags of peat moss and aluminum lawn furniture stacked on the pavement, I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” He realized that he had gone about things the wrong way. Maybe he will find what he’s really searching for but it will have to be the hard way due to his actions. The girls seem to pay him no mind, which is why Sammy seems more intrigues by them as well. The old lady with the rouge cheeks called Sammy out for ringing up her hi-ho’s…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Swimsuit In A & P
    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Swimsuit In A & P

    First of all, in the beginning of the story, Sammy mainly describes the three girls wearing swimsuits caught everyone's attention in A&P. “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits… The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece…” (1-5). The three girls catch Sammy and every other person’s eyes. They are shocked by what the girls are wearing, because barely anyone has done such a thing before. This shows us that the people in this town always follow the rules. Also, there is another important character in the story. According to Sammy, the old register…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    sammys epipany
    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    sammys epipany

    Quitting his job is his first step in achieving this goal. Although he knows that he is young, entering into the realism of adult responsibilities will widen his mind to explore and experience more. Quitting his job isn’t an optimal idea, Sammy’s motive runs much deeper than that. He is questioning for a sense of personal gain and satisfaction. By taking sides with the girls, he momentarily rises in class to meet their standards and the standards of the upper-class. Sammy is obviously near the bottom of the class ladder, a place where he is extremely unhappy. He wants the courage to set himself apart from everyone especially Lengel and be different.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Choice In John Updike's A & P
    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Choice In John Updike's A & P

    In the story “A&P” by John Updike, Sammy makes a decision to quit his job while standing up against Mr. Lengel’s unacceptable attitude toward the girls’ summer apparel. Meanwhile, talking to Mr. Lengel, Sammy remembers what his father says to him “once you begin a gesture, it’s fatal not to go through with it” (618). This remains a difficult choice because if he did not follow through with the choice, then no one would take him seriously when he has the inclination to quit. Once Sammy makes his choice, then he realizes “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (619). As well as life will get much harder without a job, especially in a small town, Sammy is not sure what to do after he quits but knows the store is not the place for him.…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A&P Summary Questions
    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A&P Summary Questions

    Given what you learn about Sammy during the course of the story, what do you see as his primary motivation for quitting his job? What other factors motivate…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literary Criticism for John Updike "A&P"
    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Literary Criticism for John Updike "A&P"

    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
    Read More

Related Topics