A & P- John Updike

Abstract: The narrator, Sammy, is working in a grocery store. He lives just north of Boston. One day while he is working, some girls come in. They are wearing their swimsuits and he admires them while they walk around the store. He especially likes the one who he thinks is the queen or leader of the group. He likes how the straps of her swimsuit come off her shoulders. He sort of objectifies them. When they check out, they come to his register. Right then, the store manager Lengel comes in. When he sees the girls, he tells them that it isn't the beach. Queenie tells him she was just getting a jar of herring snacks for her mother. When Sammy hears her voice, he is startled because he did not expect it to sound like it did. Lengel then goes on to say how they need to come into the store decently dressed. Queenie then says that they are decent. Lengel then tells Sammy to check them out. He does this, but then he says that he quits. Queenie and her friends don't notice though. They leave the store. Sammy then thinks that he really doesn't want to quit, but he needs to because he said he was going to. He was angry that Lengel embarrassed the girls. He then walks out, but the girls aren't there anymore. He then thinks that the world is going to be hard to him in the future.

Response: I think when Sammy walks out he realizes that life is going to be harder for him in the future. He will do things that won't always get recognition. He will also do things that he may regret later. He wanted to be the girls hero, but they didn't notice him at all and just left. He quit his job to help defend them, but he didn't really want to then. He went through with it though because he knew that once you start something you need to finish it. He was becoming more of an adult and realized that his actions like standing up for the girls did have consequences like losing his job. Even though he quit,his parents would still be angry at him. This story also objectifies the girls. Pretty much the whole story Sammy is just looking at the girls' bodies and criticizing them. It is also stereotyping men that all they care about or look at are girls looks. Sammy is also confused between rules and wanting to please the girls. He knows that is store policy, but he also doesn't want to girls to feel embarrassed. He also judges people differently because of their age. He describes the girls as cute while when he sees older people he describes what they are wearing was baggy gray pants. He also feels bad when Lengel makes the girl blush.