She attempts to defend herself but the store manager relentlessly reiterates his opinion. The checkout interaction in “A & P’ causes me to flashback to my early teenage years when I experienced unwelcomed disapproval regarding my choice of attire. Although quite common today, the scene John Updike describes in “A & P’ causes distractions in the normally uneventfully grocery store nestled in town. As Sammy goes about his usual business of assisting customers with their groceries purchases, three young ladies enter that cause quite a distraction. The A & P’s typically customers consist of matronly women and these beautiful young ladies cause Sammy’s attention to drift from his duties at the checkout as he sees the barefoot visitors enter the quaint store.
He follows their every move as they peruse over the cookies and other goods. The first thing this typical nineteen boy recognizes is the one girl’s “can”. But then he goes on to say that this girl is one that other girls seems to think has potential but never really makes it with the guys. One girl though especially catches his eye. He starts to call her “Queenie” because of the way she carries herself and that she seems to be the leader of the pack.
Sammy's decision to quit his job at the grocery store shows his development from an immature teenager to a person who will take a position for what he believes in no matter the consequences. Sammy's immaturity is seen right from beginning of the story when he says, "In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits"( Updike 596). At first Sammy could not watch them stroll around the store because his back was at the door, but once they were in his sight he instantaneously begins to illustrate them and notice every physical detail of each of the girls, from their skin tone to the color of the suits. He and his other friends that work i... ... middle of paper ... ...arts off being immature, gazing at the girls as they meander around the store. But, as time goes on he begins to grow up and realizes that he does not have to be like everyone else and begins to make his own decisions.
It is possible to still see these factors affect society today. The story explained how the appearance of the girls affects the community. “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle – the girls were walking against the usual traffic (not that we have one-way signs or anything) – were pretty hilarious. You could see them, when Queenie 's white shoulders dawned on them, kind of jerk, or hop, or hiccup, but their eyes snapped back to their own baskets and on they pushed. (Updike, A&P) This shows that in the small town that if you dressed outside of what society deems socially acceptable you would draw unwanted attention.
In the short story “A & P” author John Updike introduces Sammy, a young cashier at the supermarket A & P, who becomes mesmerized by three girls who walk in to the grocery store wearing nothing but bathing suits. The story follows Sammy’s thoughts while he traces the girls’ path around the store, daydreaming about who they are and why they are in the store. While checking out, the three girls are reprimanded for their lack of clothing by the store’s manager and in a display of presumptuous chivalry, Sammy quits his job. However, when one assumes perceptions to be reality the mystery of another’s mind can prove to be disappointingly different, and therefore one should make decisions carefully before jumping to conclusions. The story opens when one day girls in bathing suits walk in to the store to buy snacks.
As they go about their errands, Sammy observes the reactions, of the other customers, to this trio of young women. He uses the word "Sheep" to describe the store regulars, as they seem to follow one and other, in their actions and reactions. The girls, however, appear to be unique in all aspects of their beings: walking, down the isles, against the grain: going barefoot and in swim suits, amongst the properly attired clientele. They are different and this is what catches and holds Sammy's attention. He sees them in such detail, that he can even see the queen of the bunch.
Then out of the blue he saw three girls wearing only their bathing suites walk in the store. Sammy noticed something different about them, like they were liberated from the conservative values of those times; they were part of a new generation. Especially Queenie, he referred to... ... middle of paper ... ...p and you are not happy with where you are in life, and truly want a change. With Sammy he always wanted to quit but never had the guts to stand-up and go through with it, mostly cause he did not have that free thinking mentality like the girls. Even though when he finally did walk out of the store and the girls were not there, he had no idea what was next in life, but he did know that he was free to make his own decisions.
The third event happens when the girls approach Sammy's checkout line. They get to the line with the item from the store and placed it heavily in his hand. While he was ringing up the item, he noticed she was not wearing a ring or bracelet. He thought to himself, "Not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money is coming from." Updike is luring the reader to believe that the girl doesn't have a significant other to pay for her merchandise.
In the short story called "A & P" by John Updike, our main character Sammy is described as being a checkout clerk at the local grocery store. Sammy quits his job for many reasons. Sammy does not want to be referred as a "sheep", someone that follows, instead he wishes to do things on his own. Sammy begins the story by describing the three girls in bathing suits who have walked into the A & P grocery store. The girl who catches his attention is a chunky girl in a plaid green two-piece swimsuit.
The first person narrator of John Updike’s “A&P” is a teenage boy working as a cashier who quits his job after his manager confronts three female customers about their inappropriate attire. This point of view gives readers a better understanding of the protagonist, Sammy. His precise descriptions of the girls’ physical appearance suggests that Sammy is an observant and always aware of his surroundings. Sammy’s point of view presents his natural attraction towards the opposite sex when he sees a group of girls walking into the grocery store wearing bikinis. This first-person narration conveys the protagonist’s thoughts and explains why Sammy quits his job at the end of the story; his character and point of view reinforce Updike’s central idea