P & A
John Updike's A&P illustrates how a few short moments in a person's life can change the outcome forever. The actions, speeches, and comments of others in the story influence the main character Sammy to make a life changing decision. Sammy is a complex character with many personality traits that were brought out by the actions of others. In the first part of the story an old lady at the cash register started giving Sammy problems when he rung up the box of crackers twice while drooling on three girls. Sammy suggests that "if she had been born at the right time they would have burn her in Salem" (344). By suggesting that the lady would have been burned made Sammy seem immature. Sammy was not patient with the lady which goes back to him being a teenager that didn't care about his job. The only thing he was worried about was the girls that just walked in. Being a teenage boy, the way Sammy was "checking out" the girl in bathing suits was only natural. The intense investigation of each girl is what defines Sammy's personality. He describes each girl in detail showing that he is an imaginative person while also showing that he is not very worried about his work. As he traces every step the girls ma
In John Updike's A&P the main character Sammy takes the journey from boyhood to becoming a man in a few short minutes. This to Sammy is the injustice that tops all other injustices in the world. The way he describes what he imagines her living room to be shows how he thinks she is in a higher class than him and his family, who when they have company, "have lemonade and if it's a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses. After ringing the girls up, Sammy said "I quit" (347). The actions, speeches, and comments of the other characters in the story such as "Queen", Stokesie, and the manager Lengel also contribute to Sammy's journey from boyhood to becoming a man. When Lengel, the manger, comes in Sammy implies that everyone's luck is running out. " (346) The end of the story, that Sammy's family thinks is sad but he does not agree with them, shows that he has no remorse for his actions. He is above all else being true to himself and this personality trait can only be described as bravery. (344) 2This personality trait of Sammy's shows him to be a bit sexist, but not overtly so as to get on one's nerves. "A & P" Literature and the Writing Process. Glass 4Works CitedUpdike, John. The idea of working at the grocery store was not an attractive notion for Sammy being a teenage boy.
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Acceptance Essays
