A P Literary Analysis
Larissa Rios
Ms. Nguyen
Engl. 1301
A&P Literary Analysis Paper
A & P written by John Updike is a story that focuses on the development and responsibility that comes with coming of age. It speaks on the reality that the main character, Sammy, must confront when he makes a definitive decision and the consequences that follow. The story takes place in 1961 in a small grocery store called A&P. Sammy, the main character and narrator works as a checker and as he describes the sterile and cycling atmosphere of the store, his life up to that point hadn’t really taken shape until that day. When three girls in bathing suits enter the store Sammy makes a decision that gives him a taste of adulthood and what comes with making decisions. John Updike uses Sammy as an example of the changes that a teenager must go through in order to become an adult. Utilizing Sammy’s changing view of the girls and giving readers Sammy’s thoughts makes it possible to see how his mind in just those few minutes flourishes from a boy to a teenager to an adult and in such must face his action and the effect it brings. Updike gives a condense version of how a mind of an individual develops until reaching adulthood, and how at times the steps taken seem unimportant yet they are crucial in understanding why individuals make the decisions they do.
Updike’s introduction of Sammy is generic and relatable. He is 19 years old and working part time in what is perhaps his first job. His life is simple and not much is known about it. Something that perhaps is intentional because it makes him relatable by most 19 year old his age. The lack of freedom in his life also leads to the protected yet at times boring environment Sammy lives in. Sammy mentions that most customers of A&P “are women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs,” and often refers to all customers as “sheep” to emphasize not only his lack interest in the job but the fact that although he is unhappy, he remains there. This in
Ms. Nguyen
Engl. 1301
A&P Literary Analysis Paper
A & P written by John Updike is a story that focuses on the development and responsibility that comes with coming of age. It speaks on the reality that the main character, Sammy, must confront when he makes a definitive decision and the consequences that follow. The story takes place in 1961 in a small grocery store called A&P. Sammy, the main character and narrator works as a checker and as he describes the sterile and cycling atmosphere of the store, his life up to that point hadn’t really taken shape until that day. When three girls in bathing suits enter the store Sammy makes a decision that gives him a taste of adulthood and what comes with making decisions. John Updike uses Sammy as an example of the changes that a teenager must go through in order to become an adult. Utilizing Sammy’s changing view of the girls and giving readers Sammy’s thoughts makes it possible to see how his mind in just those few minutes flourishes from a boy to a teenager to an adult and in such must face his action and the effect it brings. Updike gives a condense version of how a mind of an individual develops until reaching adulthood, and how at times the steps taken seem unimportant yet they are crucial in understanding why individuals make the decisions they do.
Updike’s introduction of Sammy is generic and relatable. He is 19 years old and working part time in what is perhaps his first job. His life is simple and not much is known about it. Something that perhaps is intentional because it makes him relatable by most 19 year old his age. The lack of freedom in his life also leads to the protected yet at times boring environment Sammy lives in. Sammy mentions that most customers of A&P “are women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs,” and often refers to all customers as “sheep” to emphasize not only his lack interest in the job but the fact that although he is unhappy, he remains there. This in