A Feminist Perspective of John Updike's A&P

He describes the first girl he sees walking in the store as "a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it..." (421). Although the comment was kept to himself, in mind it is a sexist comment. Though the girl was in a bathing suit and there was no beach around, she probably wasn't trying to get the attention of young guys. She was just there to "pick up a jar of herring snacks" (423). Describing the girl's "can" (421), meaning her backside, gives Sammy some credit of being a sexist pig.

The second, he describes as the “tall one, with black hair that had not quite frizzled right, with a chin that was too long” (230) - the kind that other girls think is very “striking” (230) and “attractive” (230). The third, he described as the “queen” (230). She is the one he considers to be the most attractive of the girls, and the leader of the group. When she pulled out her money to pay for her purchase, Sammy talked about how he slowly un-creased the bill. It was retrieved from what he described as the “nicest two scoops of vanilla he has ever seen” (230); making reference to the queen’s breasts.

The second, he describes as the “tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzled right, with a chin that was too long” (230) - the kind that other girls think is very “striking” (230) and “attractive” (230). The third, he described as the “queen” (230). As she pulled out her money to pay for her purchase, Sammy talked about how he slowly un-creased the bill because it was retrieved from what he described as the “nicest two scoops of vanilla he has ever seen” (230); referencing the “queens” breasts. He also describes her bathing suit being off her shoulders, and that there was “nothing between the top of her suit and the top of her head but her”; alluding to more nakedness than is already apparent.

In the short story,  “A & P” by John Updike, Sammy is an employee at the local A & P supermarket in a small town in New England. During his time spent as a clerk in the checkout line, he builds a resentment for the customers and management at the store. Sammy is very displeased with his job and appears to be looking for an excuse to leave. Sammy is nineteen years old and is intrigued about the opposite sex. One day at work, Sammy notices that three attractive females have walked into the store wearing only their bathing suits.

"I had bought my ticket and was waiting for the LA bus when all of a sudden I saw the cutest little Mexican girl in slacks come cutting across my sight. Her breasts stuck straight out and true; her little flanks looked delicious; her hair was long and lustrous black; and her eyes were great big blue things with timidities inside. O gruesome life, how I moaned and pleaded, and then I got mad and realized I was pleading with a dumb little Mexican wench and I told her so'; (p. 80) This quote makes clear Sal’s intentions with this woman, and also the fact that he is somewhat racist. Then when Sal gets a job working in the fields with Terry, it’s as if he views it all as a camping trip, or even an exp...

Sammy makes numerous pre judgments about these three girls. In the beginning of the story when the girls first walk in, he notices their appearances. They immediately catch his eye because they are not in what is considered appropriate dress. They are wearing bathing tops- that have their straps pulled down, along with being bare foot. Sammy refers to one of the girls in the bathing suits as "the fat one with the tan" (Updike 553).

Respresentation of Lolita in Society Lolita represents the manifested "id" in all of us. Since her creation, she has remained an anomaly of outrage and disgust, yet, unconsciously, she is the greatest sex symbol of all times. We all crave to be the "nymphet", yet society does not accept a middle aged woman running around with pigtails and a lollipop dangling from their mouth. Middle aged women envy the nymphet in her baby-doll dress, her innocent smile, and a body that is milky-clean and flawless. They want this back, they want the firm buttocks that once was cellulite-free, and the pink in their cheeks without the necessary application of Revlon rouge.

What do you call a brunette standing between two blondes? An Interpreter. Blonde females are portrayed as being always attractive, desirable and sexually available, whilst at the same time making little use of their intelligence. Marilyn Monroe is american model, actress and singer, who was distinguished as a divine photogenic sex idol all her life, she is an excellent example of the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype. Although Marilyn was not educated she aspired to enhance her intelligence not to prove anything to anyone but for her own self-fulfillment.

Define Feminism "A woman should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove," stated Ben Glantz, a high school senior. Drew Pershing, another senior, also shared a joke, "What does a woman do after she leaves a battered shelter? The dishes...if she knows what's good for her!" Daily jokes and comments such as these, no matter how harmless, are detrimental to the status of women and a dangerous undermining of their accomplishments. Shared by both genders, sexually discriminative comments are widely accepted in society as normal and harmless.

Feminism : A Work in Progress Women as a gender have been objectified throughout time. Their bodies and overall usefulness have been viewed as a man’s property alone. The short story “A&P” by John Updike depicts the objectification of young girls specifically. The three girls in the story are objectified by their choice of wearing swimsuits in a convenience store, and how they reacted to being asked to leave the store. Updike’s short story centers around Sammy, the main figure objectifying the young girls.