The Procedure Of Development In John Updike's An And P

A lot of the times people search for what is important or meaningful in their lives. Therefore, their quest leads them to unknown places that requires them to be aware of situation around them that can potentially change their lives forever. Therefore, the central theme or universal lesson of “A&P” by John Updike is that all people should not follow blindly to the status quo by rather should aspire to be themselves because we all have distinct gifts to give society. Nevertheless, sometimes doing the right thing is not always easy, partly because we are not always awarded and appreciated for it. First, conformity in the 1950s was common, as young and old alike followed group norms rather than striking out on their own.

The Impact of Setting in John Updike’s “A&P” “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle--the girls were walking against the usual traffic (not that we have one-way signs or anything)--were pretty hilarious” (Updike 651). As an average cashier at a plain A&P store in the middle of town, the protagonist Sammy is unaccustomed to customers in provocative attire. Queenie and her two friends (one chunky, one tall) are outcast in a setting of tremendous social conformity, and quickly catch Sammy’s watchful eye with their unexpected bikinis. Unabashed in teenage ignorance, these three girls continue to shop for herring snacks, unaware that consequence is at their doorstep.

Primarily, "A & P" is a story about growing up, related circumstances and important transition from childhood to adulthood. At the beginning of the story, the reader meets Sammy, an ordinary nineteen-year-old who works at a grocery store. Though, his inner changes start when he observes the reactions to the girls. Actually, he is amused by these reactions and frustrated at the same time. He feels that he does not want to work at a grocery till the end of his days.

Identity is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. In both short stories, the characters struggle with injustices of society. In A&P by John Updike, the main character Sammy is a sexist, rude and chauvinistic young man who judges three young girls who walk into the store by their physical appearances and learns that conforming to societies norms isn't right. Also, in the short story The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara the main character Sylvia is an inner city kid who gets taken to FAO Schwartz and learns the lesson that African Americans and White people aren't equal. Both short stories highlight that the world isn't fair to people, and you have to make a difference to change it.

In the short story, “A&P”, by John Updike, the central idea is that you are always being judged even when you think you aren’t. The author’s use of characterization helps reveal the central idea through the three girls. The three girls physical appearance were constantly being judged by society. Through Lengel’s actions and one of the girls be referred to as Queenie, the reader becomes aware of how judgmental society is toward females. In fact, Lengel goes on to say, “we want to decently dress when you come in here” (3).

John Updike’s story “A&P” is a literary masterpiece that reveals the expectations of a man at the prime of his youth and an old manager in a society that is seemingly so strict on social ideals. Told from the first person point of view, the story is a strong way to show what the character Sammy learns in the shop as he develops his personality traits through the buyers and the manager. Written in the present simple tense, the story proves to be more appropriate for oral presentation. The purpose of this essay is to present a critical analysis of the personality traits of the character Sammy. In order to present the character traits analysis, the essay contends that a person is described through what they say, do, and think, what others think or say about them, or how the author describes them.

When we visit groceries, we pay attention to our groceries because we don 't encounter awkward situations where the females wear clothing which would distract us from our groceries. Our normal task in the grocery would be to walk in and buy our necessary goods and leave. The story A and P by John Updike focuses on a grocery shop where three female characters walk in wearing their bathing suit and catches the worker’s attention including the manager. Sammy, a employee in the grocery store observes the females and shows his interest towards the girls. This story is taking place in small town where people know each other and often judge each other on their appearance and their personality.

Youth is the most important time period a person goes through. It is the age that you live and learn. In the story “A and P” by John Updike, Sammy shows many signs of an adolescent. It is believable that Sammy is a part of the youth age by the control of his thoughts, focus, and dedication. In this story Sammy makes many mistakes that people learn from in their teenage years.

John Updike’s story A&P is one of initiation. According to “What is an Initiation Story?” located in The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, an initiation story is where the author intends for the young protagonist character in the story to undergo a situation where they will experience a significant change of knowledge, whether it is about himself, the world, or a change of character, and the significant change will lead them towards adulthood. What is comprehended from an initiation story is that when one gains something they lose something else as well, and this is what happened in A&P. Sammy decides to quit his job because his boss embarrassed three girls in front of the whole store.

The Epic Change to Maturity While learning the narrator Sammy in John Updike’s story ‘’ A&P’’ the immature teen seems to be a humorous young boy but not yet fully develop into adult hood in the beginning of the story. The ingrate narrator seems to first shows that he is a detailed oriented type of boy as he observes everything about these three girls. He gets his attention grabbed by experiencing the three girls whom is seen by him wearing bathing suits in which one attracts him the most then, showing his immaturity by describing figures of both the girls and a customer in a humorous way also considering his customers in the store as ‘’ sheep’’. Then, the narrator seems to grow into maturity by seeing the way the three girls were being approached or perhaps treated by Lengel and by them being embarrassed in such away, he lastly decides to take it upon his self to impress these girls by ‘’ quitting’’.

John Updike uses components like descriptive words and colorful imagery to help develop the story. The setting the reader sees in the story is being described through Sammy’s eyes. The way Sammy explains the elements around him helps develop his personality. The setting of “A & P” is developed with great detail. For example, Updike describes, "shuffled out of sight behind a pyramid of diet delight peaches”.