The Theme Of Conformity And Rebellion In John Updike's A & P

658 Words2 Pages

Most short stories lack the full development of characters and focus on other literary elements to help deliver their message. However, in the short story “A&P,” John Updike uses characterization in order to develop the theme of conformity and rebellion. Sammy, the narrator of the story, is a nineteen-year-old boy who has a strong interest in the opposite sex. He is very opinionated, somewhat sarcastic and likes to observe the environment around him. From the moment the girls walk into the store, Sammy begins to soak up every detail of their physical appearance, including their bathing suits, tan lines, posture, and walk. He then begins to dive into the lives of the girls, specifically Queenie’s, the leader group. The way she speaks and her …show more content…

He realizes that in the eyes of Queenie he must seem just like any other worker, which puts him in the same level as Lengel and Stokesie. His desire to detach himself from the normality of A&P is what compels him to quit his job. While doing so, Sammy yells, “I quit,” hoping that the girls hear him and realize that he is their “unsuspected hero.” However, the girls leave without even taking notice of the situation, leaving Sammy with only guilt and doubt over his rash action. Sammy’s desire for Queenie and her attention ends up becoming a desire to escape from the A&P in order to chase a glamorous alternate world and make a new …show more content…

Through his eyes, she comes from a world of sophisticated parents, summer vacations and the freedom to disregard social norms. She also represents superiority and power by being able to disrupt the peace and tranquility of the store just by simply walking around. While the other girls seem embarrassed to roam the store in their swimsuits, Queenie is unaffected by the disapproving glances of the other shoppers and the eager gazes of the male employees. Her elegant and confident stride reveals her awareness of being observed, making it seem like she is putting on a performance of sexual power and independence. However, her self-confidence weakens slightly the moment Lengel challenges her behavior. No longer self-assured and confident, Queenie tries to explain that she is simply buying something for her mom, revealing that she is not quite and adult. This combination of power and vulnerability is what spurs Sammy into rebelling against the conformity he was so used to living

Show More
Related

  • Sammy Makes a Decision in John Updike's A&P

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    The plot of the story deals with three girls who come into the store dressed only in bathing suits.  They make their entrance in the very first sentence, and they complicate Sammy's life.  At first, Sammy, his older friend Stokesie, and McMahon the butcher all look at the girls lustfully.  But of them all, only Sammy enjoys the entertainment the girls bring.  The other shoppers crash their carts, look stunned, and are suddenly jarred out of their everyday routine.  Sammy, who seems bored with his job, finds the change amusing.  He even begins to feel sorry for the girls when everyone else stares at them lustfully.  The plot's major conflict occurs late in the story when Lengel, the manager, comes in and scolds the girls.  Sammy knows that they are on their way out of the store, but Lengel has to yell at them and make them feel bad.

    Read More

  • Truth about Sammy in John Updike's A&P

    1092 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the final analysis, it would seem that the most obvious explanation for why Sammy quits his job--the one that he implies--is actually the least plausible. While Sammy would like to portray himself as the fearless defender of the delicate sensibilities of innocent girls, the reality is that Sammy's motives in quitting have far more to do with his own sensibilities than with those of the three girls.

    Read More

  • Rebel Without a Clue in John Updike's A&P

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adults always stress that it is important to make a good first impression. That is what Sammy was trying to accomplish in John Updike’s "A & P." Although some people believe that Sammy is a hero for standing up for his beliefs when he quit, there is conclusive evidence that he quit in an attempt to impress a girl he was obviously attracted to, Queenie.

    Read More

  • Self-Motivation and Egocentrism in John Updike’s A&P

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Peden once called John Updike’s “A&P” “deftly narrated nonsense...which contains nothing more significant than a checking clerk's interest in three girls in bathing suits” (Peden). While Peden’s criticism may be harsher than necessary, it is hard to find fault with his analysis. Sammy’s tale offers little more than insight into an egocentric and self-motivated mind, and while Updike may disagree with that conclusion, a close reading of the text offers significant evidence to support this theory. In “An Interview with John Updike”, Updike describes how Sammy quit as a “feminist protest” (153). However, I would argue that Sammy’s act of defiance was selfishly motivated and represents his inner struggle with his social class as demonstrated through his contempt for those around him and his self-motivated actions.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of John Updike's A&P

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sammy observes their movements and gestures, up until the time of checkout. At which point, they are confronted by the store manager and chastised for their unacceptable appearance. He believes their attire is indecent. Sammy, feeling that the managerial display was unnecessary and unduly embarrassing for the girls, decides to quit his position as checker. Though he knows that his decision may be hasty, he knows that he has to follow through and he can never go back.

    Read More

  • Rebellious to Responsible in John Updike's A&P

    2044 Words  | 5 Pages

    Updike, John. "A&P." Thinking and Writing About Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. 981-86. Print.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of John Updike's A&P

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his short story "A & P" John Updike utilizes a 19-year-old adolescent to show us how a boy gets one step closer to adulthood. Sammy, an A & P checkout clerk, talks to the reader with blunt first person observations setting the tone of the story from the outset. The setting of the story shows us Sammy's position in life and where he really wants to be. Through the characterization of Sammy, Updike employs a simple heroic gesture to teach us that actions have consequences and we are responsible for our own actions.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In John Updike's A & P

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    “A&P” is a short story by John Updike about a nineteen-year-old male named Sammy. Sammy lives in a small town five miles from the beach and works at a grocery store called A&P. Throughout the story Sammy reveals signs of agitation at his job. Things begin to change as he gazed his eyes on three girls that walk into the store. The A&P and the girls are important symbols in “A&P” that help reveal the conflict in the story.

    Read More

  • Growth of Sammy in John Updike's A&P

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of A&P, Sammy notices that three girls have walked into the store with only there bathing suits on.  At first, poor Sammy cannot see the girls because he was at register 3 with his back toward the door.  When they finally get into his sight, he immediately size the girls up.  "The one that caught my eye first was the one in the placid green two-piece.  She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs."  He also gives a description of the other two girls.  He says one has "a chubby berry-faces, her lips all bunched  together under her nose and the tall one, with black hair that hadn't quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes and a chin that was too long--you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very "striking" and "attractive" but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much."  This comments illustrate his immaturity.  Sammy refers to one of the girls as queen.  He calls her queen because she seems to be the leader. ...

    Read More

  • Dynamic Character In John Updike's A & P

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    He criticizes his family and their background when he says, “when my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it’s a real racy affair, Schlitz in tall glasses with ‘They’ll do it every time’ cartoons stenciled on.” Sammy desires to move from a blue collar to a white collar family to differentiate him from his family. He shows his growing maturity when he says, “the girls who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengal quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.” He wants to be noticed by the girls for his selfless act of quitting his job for them. His plan does not work though, and the girls leave him to face Lengal alone. Lengal confronts Sammy and says, “Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your mom and dad.” Sammy ponders Lengal’s comment and thinks to himself, “It’s true, I don’t. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it.” Sammy has begun to reach maturity and now wants to make his own decisions concerning his future and how he spends

    Read More

  • The Similarities Between A & P And Araby

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story “A&P,” Sammy comes across as very judgemental and observant. He notices when the ladies first want in, and one of the first things he chooses to point out is how they are dressed. He then goes on pointing out that one is overweight and another is the “head” of the group. The reader then begins to realize that Sammy's focus is completely on Queenie, the name he gave to the “leader” of the group. "The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero." (Updike 3) Sammy soon becomes relentless in finding this girl once she leaves the store, he even quit his job. He liked her so much that he dismissed his way of living.

    Read More

  • John Updike's A&P

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sammy is astounded by three young girls that walk into his store in their bathing suits. 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 does nothing but watch her every move as they parade about the store. He even daydreams about going into her house with her rich family at a cocktail party. He notices everything about her and thinks there was nothing cuter than the way she pulls the money out of her top. His immature infatuation with this girl is one of the reasons Sammy makes the hasty decision to quit in the end.

    Read More

  • Social Class in A & P by John Updike

    372 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the student develops his essay, Sammy begins to compare the girls to other customers in the store. From “houseslaves in pin curlers” to “an old party in baggy gray pants” (2192 ), Sammy negatively characterizes customers in contrast to the leader of the girls, Queenie. To Sammy, the girl is someone that is not from their town. She is everything that every girl envies and wants to be. In contrast to Sammy, she will spend her summer vacationing while he spends it working. It is clear to Sammy that their worlds are different, however it is also obvious that he would like to explore hers.

    Read More

  • Sammy in A & P, by John Updike

    1902 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...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. Sammy no longer had to take Mr. Lengel’s nonsense, or stick around and watch Stocksie become manger. This was his time to stop being a push over and pave the path to his own future. His parents may have been upset, but this gave him an opportunity to stand up for his own actions and be confident in his choices he had made, regardless if they were for the right or for the wrong. Sammy was able to press forward and start a new chapter in his life.

    Read More

  • Sammy and the Setting in John Updike's "A&P"

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...of life. He is no longer buying the old ideas, but, instead, identifying with the "pee-pul," not the store. By removing his apron, shrugging it off his shoulder just as Queenie did with her bathing suit, Sammy severs his ties to the store and also solidifies his identification with Queenie. Finalizing his resignation, he exits the store into the "sunshine skating," a new natural light with no pattern, in the parking lot. He now looks back at the A&P and understands the risk he has taken by leaving the safety that his parents had reserved for him at the store.

    Read More

More about The Theme Of Conformity And Rebellion In John Updike's A & P

Open Document