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The Negatively Constracted In John Updike's A & P

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In John Updike's short story "A&P," the narrator, Sammy, is negatively impacted by his human connections with the other characters in the story. Sammy's interactions with the customers and his boss at the grocery store represent a world of conformity, predictability, and boredom. However, when three young women in bathing suits enter the store, Sammy becomes infatuated with them, and his perspective shifts. The sexuality of the females in the novel causes them to become a distraction for Sammy the narrator, and when people have a physical connection instead of a personal connection, it eventually has consequences. This has a negative effect on the character. He sees them as representing freedom and individuality, and their presence in the store …show more content…

It's trying to imply that because the girls are wearing swimsuits in a grocery store, he is definitely sexualizing their bodies. This remark is significant because it perfectly expresses how Sammy, the narrator, sexualized the girls and how, as a result, he became distracted, which had a negative impact on him. It's essential since he eventually reveals to be impulsive and that his issues weren't limited to distraction; as a result, he quits his job and wants to be seen as a sort of hero for the girls. His tendency to act impulsively and without considering the effects is another reason why the narrator was negatively impacted. The second piece of evidence demonstrates just how impulsive he was being due to the girls: "The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected

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