John Updike A & P Symbolism

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A&P “A&P” by John Updike is a short story that young males and females could relate to. It takes place during that transitional period from a teenager to a young adult. It also overflowing symbolism from beginning to end. Updike when writing “A&P” also may have alluded to thing that could happen in the future. Updike wanted to write a simple story but if delved into deeper could have many other meanings. “A&P” takes the reader into a day in the life of Sammy. Like most kids at Sammy age who is nineteen years old, he is working a job he doesn’t really like at all while trying to figure out what he going to do with his life. Sammy works as a cashier at the A&P grocery store. …show more content…

Stokesie and Lengal both symbolize lives he didn’t want to have if he stayed working at A&P. Lengal was the manager who was also a Sunday school teacher it was safe to say seeing three girls in bathing suits was not going to be okay. Lengal telling the females repeatedly that the store was not a beach. It is at this point Sammy thinks to himself why is he being so hard on queenie. That when Sammy says, “policy is what the kingpins want. What the other wants is juvenile delinquency”(Updike .22). Sammy says this because he feels like lengal only giving the girls problem about the bathing suit because it bothers him. It’s at this point Sammy decides he going to stick up for the girls. Sammy sticking up for these girls not only because he wants one to notice but because the girls represent the life he wants.Sammy while sticking up for the girls stops and thinks to himself what will he do after he quits. Sammy is afraid of what people would say about him and how it will be hard to move on and get any other jobs. In the end, Sammy does not regret his choice because he finally doing something he wants to do, getting some

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