Comng of Age in Araby and A&P
"A&P" has a more effective way of conveying the theme of coming of age than "Araby." John Updike is able to show the painfully normal life the main character (Sammy) lives, and the rash decisions that are reminiscent of a child's, which explains how and why Sammy quit his job. Even in Sammy's most decisive moment, it's clear he's unsatisfied with the results and wishes he could take it back. In "Araby," James Joyce's character's obsession with a female is the main focus of most of the story. While the love in "Araby" is more in depth than "A&P," the actual emotions the character displays are less synonymous with "coming of age." At any point in someone's life, one may feel an obsession or longing for something, and while this will display "coming of age" qualities, it certainly doesn't focus solely on this theme alone. "A&P" is the story of a 19 year old boy, Sammy, who works at the local A&P supermarket. The focus of the story is "three girls in nothing but bathing suits" who walk into the store and catch Sammy's attention (Charters 1343). Sammy's eyes follow them about the store wondering whether he'll be able to ring them up at the cash register in order to get a better look.
Their love fully appreciates when the girl actually talks to him, when "she asked me was I going to Araby" (763). "Araby" is the story of a turn of the century Irish boy who falls in love with his best friend's sister. "Araby," on the other hand, has a younger main character, and he has a calmer, collected state while around his love. When the day finally comes, he arrives at the market too late and most of the stalls are already closed, causing him to lose hope and leave the bazaar empty handed. Privately, he's very anxious, and even spends some of his time in a back room of his house repeating "'O love! O love!'" (763). As soon as Sammy's manager Lengel is done scolding the girls about their attire, he abruptly quits, merely hoping that the girls would hear him. Once the girls have their bag, they make a hasty exit, to which Sammy tries to get in an "I quit," so that the girls can hear it, but he doesn't succeed. The only bit of interaction the two have is towards the end of the story. I believe that this works well due to the fact that they are both love stories, and getting the story directly from the person who felt the emotion is more effective than a third person narrative. The point at which Sammy does begin to think about Lengel's actions doesn't possibly give him enough time to make a rational decision. In "A&P," Sammy does nothing more than look at and analyze each of the girls before falling in love with his favorite. The differences in the story are much easier to discern from one another. In order to pay for her items, Queenie pulls a dollar out of her bathing suit top, which further solidifies Sammy's infatuation for the girl as he simply states, "I thought that was so cute" (1345). Even though "Araby" was a more serious, solemn love, it does underline the main points of a young infatuation.
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A&P Sammy,
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,
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Acceptance Essays
