John Updike's often-anthologized story, "A&P" shows us the heroic choice of a young adult who decides to follow principle rather than his own self-interest. The nineteen year old narrator works at the local A&P (Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company) in a middle class neighborhood, and he is led to quit his job as a pretest against a perceived insult to a young woman he admires. This dramatic gesture is largely a result of what economists would call signaling.
             "In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits." (881) The narrator is glad for the diversion, mentally names the most beautiful girl "Queenie" and watches every move the trio make. The detail with which Queenie is described shows how carefully the narrator is looking for signals of her status. He tells us that "her hands are empty, not a ring or a bracelet" and that she purchases "Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Cream" (883). The purchase reveals something about Queenie-at least to the narrator's way of thinking. Her choice shows that she comes from a different social and economic class. One can conclude that Queenie's sophisticated way of life contrasts with the narrator's own life.
             When the store manager, Lengel, enters and scolds the girls about their attire, "Girls, this isn't the beach." (883). Lengel continues to explain that the "policy" requires them to have their shoulders covered, Queenie is embarrassed, and we can predict that the narrator will take offense. He rings up the purchase, described so that we see how people are viewed in economic terms: "[I]t's more complicated than you think and after you do it often enough, it begins to make a little song." (884) The narrator sees Queenie blush and gallantly says " 'I quit' to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop
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