John Updike A & P Summary

Do you think a person can develop so much within a short period of time, that they have different values and views on the world? In this short story A&P, John Updike writes a compelling story about Sammy who works at the checkout line at a grocery store named A&P. The story follows the sequence of exposition to complication, conflict, climax and resolution. In addition, Sammy had to develop from a young man with conventional, middle-class views and values to a wiser and more sympathetic individual.
“In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits”. This introduces us to the complication that’s about to take place within the story. The lack of clothing the girls were wearing was not acceptable behavior during this point in time, which

As soon as the girls come in and “there over by the bread” Sammy’s attention is on them. He is in the process of ringing up a women who he says “she’s one of these cash-register watcher”. When Sammy sees them he starts trying to break them done piece by piece. By doing this, he will get a better understanding about who they are and what their personalities might be like. He go on to say “there was this chunky one, a tall one and then the third one that wasn’t quite so tall’. She was the queen. Doing this shows how he has not evolved from his conventionally, middle-class

Sammy decides to be the hero and take up for the girls. He says “I quit”. This is an important part in the story, because he becomes a wise and sympathetic young man. Sammy is now no longing thinking the way he once did, when the girls walked in the grocery store. He believed in the cause. Which we can argue was for the girls or for his self-development. Nevertheless, he speaks up by saying “you didn’t have to embarrass them”.
Furthermore Sammy makes an important point about how Lengel treated the girls and how he acts towards them. This part of the short story leaves us with suspense wither Sammy will really leave his job because of the girls. Lengel threats Sammy in a way, when he says “Sammy you don’t want to do this to your mom and dad”. Sammy has responsibility to up hold and if he quits his job he forgets about those responsibilities. In order to protect the three girls that didn’t t really notice him.
Lastly Sammy makes a dramatic action that solves the dispute, Sammy quits and leaves his “apron with Sammy stitched in red on the pocket and put it on the counter”. Then when he is finally outside the store. He just stands outside watching his boss do the job he use to have. He comes up with the conclusion that maybe quitting wasn’t the best choice. He realizes how hard the world was going to be to him