John Updike's A & P proved to be a wordy, over blown dramatization regarding an incident that takes place in the life of a nineteen year old teenager sometime before 1990 in a small town north of Boston, USA. Although open to most types of literature, I find it tedious going when it's necessary to wade through minute, in this case, microscopic observations of a nineteen year old male named Sammy. It has an effect similar to too much icing on the cake, the end result, a too sweet treat, hard to enjoy. I don't believe any male, whatever the age, thinks in terms that descriptively in relation to an incident of this proportion. The entrance of "Lengel" somewhat picks up the tone and gives meaning to the story, while the other characters in the story offer no input, other than "extras on the set."
             However, the story does make its point, that of a young man placing all on the line for a pretty young girl and his ideals. It's a face off on the standards of the older generation vs. the younger generation and the interpretation of rules and methods in which those rules are implemented. The realization of his error hits as Sammy repeats that he is quitting, along with the fact that it's to late to back down and save face. He walks away from the A & P seeing a former co-worker at his "slot" and witnesses just how easily he can be replaced. The only one enduring any discomfort as a result of his resignation is Sammy, certainly not the manager or the company, and now he must face his parents with what he has done.
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