A & P Summary

1. A&P is a short story in which the young character, Sammy quits his job at the supermarket because the manager embarrassed three girls and learns how messed up the world really is. Most of the action in the story takes place in this supermarket where Sammy stands at his cash register on a summer afternoon watching three girls dressed in nothing but bathing suits, wander the store in search of a jar of “Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Cream.” By the time the three girls reach his checkout stand, Sammy is halfway in love with a girl he nicknames, Queenie. Sammy is attracted to the girl not only by her physical beauty but also by her respectful behavior and by her clear disregard for small-town traditions. As the girls approach Sammy to checkout Lengel gets onto the girls for entering the store in bathing suits, citing store policy. The girls are embarrassed, and Queenie protests that her mother wanted her to come in and buy some herring snacks. In this statement, Sammy gleans insight into Queenie’s life. He imagines himself possibly being her shoes. As the girls begin to leave the store, Sammy suddenly turns to Lengel and quits his job, protesting the way Lengel has embarrassed the girls was wrong. Sammy hopes the girls are watching him. Lengel tries to talk Sammy out of quitting, telling
I believe the overall, true meaning of “A&P” by John Updike is the realization of the lack of respect people have in the world. Although A&P was written in 1961, the moral of the story holds true to what people still need to hear today. I think the story has multiple meanings. The main meaning being the way people are treated for the way they look verses the way they act. The girls may have been dressed inappropriately, but the reasoning for them being there somewhat justified the way they were dressed. Which ties into the significance of women in general and how they are treated unjustly at times. The way Lengel was chastising the girls was clearly wrong and uncalled