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Theme Of Defiance In John Updike's A & P

608 Words3 Pages

In the short story “A&P” by John Updike, a nineteen year old grocery store clerk, Sammy, undergoes a right of passage that leads him into adulthood. This is also known as an initiation story. Sammy experiences a specific type of initiation into adulthood known as uncompleted. This type of initiation leads the main character across the threshold of maturity, which in some cases involves self discovery, while also leaving them entangled in uncertainty. Throughout the story, specific examples and symbols display Sammy's change from conformity to defiance to find what is morally right for himself.

In the beginning of the story, Updike displays the conformity Sammy feels trapped in. While in the grocery store, Sammy describes the people shopping as sheep. “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle.” (201) When I think of sheep, I think of a …show more content…

The biggest display of defiance in general are the three girls in the bathing suits. From the moment they come into the grocery store, they disrupt the normal flow of things. Not only are they just wearing bathing suits, they also walk the wrong way in the aisles, and distract the male workers. They also go on to defying the managers remark of being indecent. “We want you decently dressed when you come in here." "We are decent," Queenie says suddenly.” (203) Sammy finds himself amused and in awe of the girls resistance to what's considered “normal”. The girls actions become a message to him that being different and rebellious is ok. This realization automatically leads him to quit his job. “"You'll feel this for the rest of your life," Lengel says, and I know that's true, too, but remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside.” (204) Apart from quitting to impress Queenie, Sammy quits in remark to his managers behavior in embarrassing the girls. He no longer wants to support someone who makes decisions he is

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Although the rich and the poor may be categorized into two different communities, they do, however, both share a similar characteristic. The stories “A&P” by John Updike and “Wife of His Youth” by Charles W. Chesnutt each have protagonists, or characters we should identify with. The character, Sammy, from “A&P” is comparable to Mr Ryder, from “Wife of His Youth” in multiple ways. In “A&P” Sammy is a grocery clerk who sees some beautiful women. He decides to stand up for them when his boss confronts them, and ends up quitting his job.

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As such, "A&P" and "Sonny's Blues" serve as powerful literary examples that dive into the intricacies of human identity and the ways in which individuals strive to break free from societal constraints to assert their individuality. In John Updike's "A&P," the main character, Sammy, impulsively quits his job at a grocery store after defending three girls in bathing suits who are reprimanded for their attire. However, as Sammy searches for the girls outside the store, he realizes the potential consequences of his impulsive action. The grocery store represents a commodified society where people's desires are determined by their purchasing ability.

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What Are The Similarities Between A & P And The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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Sammy even at the beginning of the story you learn that he doesn’t think as himself as a follower or a sheep. Sammy doesn’t consider himself to be like his fellow co-workers Lengel and Stokeise who follow the guidelines of this corporation. Sammy begins to change when these three girls with bathing suits walk into the store. The presence of the girl’s cause Sammy to make an error at the register. The girls wearing bathing suits make Sammy think about the defiance of the norm.

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(Updike 1). Here readers can see that Sammy is paying more attention to the girls than his job because he gets descriptive in

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In the story “A&P,” Updike communicates Sammy’s imprisonment though his location within the grocery store. In the first few sentences, Updike places “[Sammy] in the third check-out slot, with [his] back to the door, so [he doesn’t] see [the girls] until they’re over by the bread” (Updike 17). The physical isolation of the ‘check-out slot’ combined with Sammy’s inability to see outside demonstrates how he is incapable of seeing the outside world, let alone reaching its freedom. The act of Sammy noticing the girls further attests to his mental confinement; as instead of thinking of the store in terms of layout, he thinks in terms of ‘bread’ (17). His habit of thinking in terms of products signifies how the grocery store is where he spends the majority of his time, further alluding to Sammy’s physical confinement within the

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How Does Sammy Quit His Job

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This becomes Sammy’s biggest change, the decision he makes all for one girl. He had quit his job, not thinking about the consequences all for the attention of Queenie. His act of sympathy became Sammy’s only strong action the entire time the girls have been there. However, the girls do not give him the attention nor the impression he desired. He had quit for no reason and soon after realizes it when leaving the store, he was

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Characterization, Setting, Theme In John Updike's A And P

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Discuss one of the following regarding John Updike's "A&P": Characterization, Setting, Theme. Sammy is the narrator of this story. He is an opinionated teenager who describes people shopping at the store as “sheep”. He believes everyone acts the same.

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John Updike Attitude

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Though his continuous attraction towards the group of girls seems immature, his adherent attention to detail also demonstrates sophistication. Updike’s title A&P focuses on the ordinary setting of a grocery store, yet the events that take place within the store resemble the ideals of an abnormal cause—nonconformity. Overall, Sammy’s attitude gives insight into a larger theme than the surface

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Female Objectification In John Updike's A & P

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“A&P” by John Updike is a short story expressing the issues of female objectification and degradation in society by following a young A&P employee’s views (Sammy) as they change through experiences second hand. Sammy goes from stereotyping objectifier to a form of a public defender, standing up for girls who can’t really do so for themselves. Sammy initially characterizes and describes all of the people in the store based on their looks and his initial opinion of them, rather than waiting to make judgements based on their personality, or not at all. He is very critical of looks, and is judgmental about why and how they look or act the way they do.

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Examples Of Individualism In A & P By John Updike

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Updike also uses symbols to further the idea of individualism. For instance, Sammy applauds the girls in ”nothing but bathing suits”, which represent self-expression and a clear disregard for the small-town social norms. The girls themselves even personify individuality in Sammy’s mind with the way they “[walk] against the usual traffic”, both literally and figuratively. When Sammy quits his job, he sheds his uniform, a symbol of corporate conformity. The apron has “‘Sammy’ stitched in red on the pocket”, but this tiny bit of personalization is nowhere near enough for Sammy, because at the end of the day, it all belongs to the establishment, even “the bow tie is theirs”.

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John Updike A & P Conflict

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Updike uses Sammy’s point of view as a literacy tool by using Sammy’s perspective to give freedom to his audience allowing them to relate on

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John Updike A & P Setting Analysis

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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.

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Summary Of John Updike's Short Story A & P

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In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” Sammy is the narrator and cashier at the grocery story A&P. The author uses dynamic characters with immensely different personalities to portray conformity and rebellion in our society. Through out the story Sammy challenges conformity and social norms at his work place for personal reasons. Sammy is very bitter character and taken as a realist which fuels the story. Queenie, a rebel against conformity, sparks Sammy’s emotions after the way she is treated by his boss Langel when she walks into the grocery store with nothing but a bikini covering her skin.

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Updike exerts and manipulates the plot, character, setting, the point of view, and symbolism. These crafts incorporate with one another in the story to highlight what the character is experiencing. For example, in the story, "his face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron”… (144-145) This quote refers to Sammy looking back through the store at Lengal after he just quit his job.

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John Updike Character Analysis

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Queenie craves attention and the power that comes with being leader and owning the place. A dramatic scene erupts when Queenie and her friends shows up at the A&P store dressed in bikinis. This moment enlighten Sammy to the real power queenie wields over her friends. Sammy is enticed and gazes at her “long white legs” as she walks around the store. He offers a vivid description of her elegant bathing suit and the straps she had pulled on.

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