A&P, John Updike

The story A&P by John Updike opens with little introduction of the main character, who is named Sammy. He works at a small grocery store in a little town that borders a high end resort called the Point. We also find out that the setting of “A&P” is just north of Boston, thus the reader can imagine that it is a tiny seaside village amid more expensive areas. Throughout the short story, class tensions created by this setting become clearer.

Sammy is working at the check-out of the A&P when three girls, obviously from the wealthy side of the city come in. They are wearing nothing but their bathing suits and are making a spectacle of themselves as they saunter through the aisles, clearly aware that their presence is creating a stir. From the time the girls enter the grocery store, to the moment they leave, you can see changes in Sammy. At first, he sees only the physicality of the girls: how they look and what they are wearing, seem to be his only observations. As the story progresses, he notices the interactions between the girls, and he even determines the hierarchy of the small dynamic. He observes their actions and how they affect the other patrons of the business. Rather, how the other people view the girl's actions. His thought process is maturing and he starts to see things as an adult might see them. He notices that the "regulars", seem to do the same things day in and day out. Following the same path and directions through the isles, they check off their lists and go about their searching. This realization is why the group of girls is so refreshing to him. They are different and do not seem to follow any set path. They seem to live in the now. After seeing this, he starts to feel bad about the way the girls are being viewed by others. He no longer wants to be part of something that discourages uniqueness. This is further supported in the checkout scene, when he makes the comment about the policy and how it is what the "kingpins" want. It is