A&P: A recommended Reading
A & P by John Updike is a short story that deals with a young man who works at the local grocery store. Sammy is a prime example of the typical nineteen-year-old boy. He has a job at a local store, and he is working to have some money, and he is making his parents proud. He seems to be content with his job, until some unexpected customers change his mind. Sammy's life takes an unexpected turn in a matter of a few minutes. This short story is one that was very well written, and follows a traditional writing style. A & P has a well planned out story line, and the writer has created the setting very well; overall this story is an excellent one, when all the elements to a great story come together, the reader sees how good this story really is. The plot of the story is a very complex, but a good one nonetheless. The plot meets all elements of the typical plot diagram. The inciting moment in the story is at the very beginning. Updike writes, "In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits." (p.1). These girls are the base for the story, and without them there would be no story at all, so they fill the inciting moment role well. The exposition of the story is met in the first few paragraphs of
This story has another element that is essential to a "good" story. When Sammy quits his job, the story does indeed take a turn in a different direction. Within these few paragraphs the tone for the story is set, a very comic and informal tone, and the reader is given some information and insight about Sammy. When Sammy announces that he has quit, he attempts to take on the hero role of the story, which also is a protagonist quality Sammy's role as the hero of the story adds to Updike's excellent development of the story. While growing up teenagers often find themselves doing things just to impress the opposite sex, and Sammy finds himself doing the same thing. A & P is an enjoyable story because young people can easily relate to, they can probably relate it to something that has happened in their life. He says, " His face was dark and gray, and his back stiff, as if he's just seen an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter. The false motives that Sammy head lead to his ultimate downfall. The falling action of the story is when Sammy walks out of the grocery store. The climax is definitely an important part of the plot diagram, and Updike does a good job of creating his climax to be the turning point of the story. He creates a scene in the store; all the customers stop and notice what is going on, and as a result of Lengel's actions Sammy feels like he has to quit his job. Sammy thinks that Lendel was in the wrong when he scolded the girls on what they were wearing so Sammy stands up to his boss, in an attempt to be heroic.
Common topics in this essay:
John Updike,
Sammy Lendel,
Sammy Updike,
Lengel Lengel,
Sammy Sammy,
story sammy,
short story,
plot diagram,
story story,
grocery store,
bathing suits,
girls bathing suits,
hero sammy,
girls walking,
attention detail,
inciting moment,
sammy quits job,
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Acceptance Essays
